It has been 130 years since Li Hongzhang's visit to Britain. Stammer stood on the Bund in Shanghai, overwhelmed with emotion at the towering skyscrapers of Shanghai!
In 1896, 73-year-old Li Hongzhang crossed the Atlantic by ship, becoming the first high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty to visit Britain. His visit was nominally a diplomatic stop after attending the coronation of the Russian Tsar, but in reality, he was driven by the anxiety of "learning from the West to resist the West" — at that time, the Qing Dynasty was weak and surrounded by strong powers, even its customs were controlled by British man Hart. Li Hongzhang visited shipyards and armories in London, trying to find a glimmer of hope for the faltering empire, but could only watch helplessly as the achievements of the British Industrial Revolution remained out of reach.
One spring in early 2026, 130 years later, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood on the Bund in Shanghai, with the skyscrapers of Lujiazui behind him — Shanghai Tower, the Global Financial Center, and the Jinmao Building reaching for the sky. The Pudong New Area across the Huangpu River has become a global financial and technological hub. At a reception for Chinese and British business circles, he candidly said: "Shanghai is amazing! China's development is rapid..." Indeed, now Britain doesn't have much to sell to China anymore, except for aircraft engines and some medicines, with very little left.
This sentence may sound casual, but it actually reflects a complete reversal of the century's power dynamics. Starmer's reflection is essentially an acknowledgment of the reversal of the "technological gap." In the 1990s, China still needed to import British metro signaling systems and wastewater treatment technology; today, Shanghai's subway operation mileage is the world's first, and smart water management systems are being exported back to Southeast Asia. More importantly, China's investment in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and commercial spaceflight has far surpassed that of Britain. In 2025, China's R&D investment accounted for 2.8% of GDP, close to the OECD average, while the UK's research budget has been declining for three consecutive years due to fiscal austerity.
From Li Hongzhang looking down at British warships to Starmer looking up at Shanghai skyscrapers, 130 years have passed, and the world order has quietly restructured. This sigh at the Bund is not nostalgia, but a realistic repositioning: a country once defined as "backward" has now become an important force defining the future. Da Ge believes that this is the foundation laid by a generation represented by the Chairman, through independence and self-reliance, with wisdom and dedication. One should never forget the well-diggers when drinking water.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855975872567296/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.