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Chen Lanbin

Chen Lanbin ( ; 1816–1895), courtesy name Li Qiu ( ), was a Chinese politician and diplomat who was the first Chinese Ambassador to the United States during the Qing dynasty. Born in Wuchuan City, Guangdong, he passed the Chinese imperial examination in 1853 at the age of 24, and entered the Hanlin Academy. He soon became the head of two departments of the Qing government in succession, and in 1872 he was sent to the United States and named commissioner of the Chinese Educational Commission in Hartford, Connecticut, despite not knowing English. He occupied numerous other positions until 1875, when he began acting as the government's representative in the United States. He was formally named the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Spain, and Peru in 1878, a position that he held until 1881. A conservative, Chen was often at odds with the progressive oriented Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, and a colleague of his. In 2015, Chen was featured in an article by China Daily, which remembered his efforts in promoting China–United States relations.

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Article summary

Chen Lanbin ( ; 1816–1895), courtesy name Li Qiu ( ), was a Chinese politician and diplomat who was the first Chinese Ambassador to the United States during the Qing dynasty. Born in Wuchuan City, Guangdong, he passed the Chinese imperial examination in 1853 at the age of 24, and entered the Hanlin Academy. He soon became the head of two departments of the Qing government in succession, and in 1872 he was sent to the United States and named commissioner of the Chinese Educational Commission in Hartford, Connecticut, despite not knowing English. He occupied numerous other positions until 1875, when he began acting as the government's representative in the United States. He was formally named the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Spain, and Peru in 1878, a position that he held until 1881. A conservative, Chen was often at odds with the progressive oriented Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, and a colleague of his. In 2015, Chen was featured in an article by China Daily, which remembered his efforts in promoting China–United States relations.

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1853 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1853". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1347507517

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.