Kidnapped in London

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Kidnapped in London

Kidnapped in London is an 1896 book by the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen about his abduction into the Chinese Legation in London and subsequent release.

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Background

October 31, 1896, the Graphic's report on the release of Sun Yat-sen 1896Nian 10Yue 31Ri ,Ying Guo The GraphicBao Dao Sun Zhong Shan Huo Shi .jpg
October 31, 1896, the Graphic's report on the release of Sun Yat-sen

After the failed Yiwei Guangzhou uprising in 1895, Sun Yat-sen was wanted by the Qing government. British Hong Kong was pressured by the Qing to deport him. [1]

On September 23, 1896, Sun departed from New York aboard the White Star Line ship Majestic en route to the United Kingdom. He disembarked in Liverpool on the 30th. [2] The Qing Government became aware of Sun's movement before his arrival and planned to abduct him and bring him back to China. It hired a private detective to monitor his activities. [3]

On October 1, Sun visited his teacher, James Cantlie, who had taught him at the Hong Kong College of Medicine, at 46 Devonshire Street. [4] Cantlie's residence was close to the Chinese Legation in London at 49 Portland Place, but the lack of flags or signage prevented Sun from recognizing the mission building. [5]

On October 11, when Sun passed by the embassy again, he was taken inside the building. Over the next few days, all of Sun's attempts to pass information outside were unsuccessful. [6] On October 17, Sun managed to persuade one of the Legation's housekeeper, Mrs. Howe, to deliver a note to the Cantlies. [7] [8] James Cantlie contacted Scotland Yard and the Foreign Office for help and submitted the story to the Times . [9]

On October 22, The Globe first disclosed the abduction in an extra edition, sparking public interest. On the morning of October 23, the story of abduction appeared as the headline in major British newspapers. [10] Pressure from the British Government and Scotland Yard forced Halliday McCartney, counsellor to the Chinese Legation, to release Sun. On the afternoon of October 23, Sun was released. [11]

Reference

  1. Wu 1981, pp. 6–11.
  2. Luo 1930, p. 111.
  3. Huang 1998, p. 1.
  4. Huang 1998, pp. 1–2.
  5. Huang 1998, pp. 109–110.
  6. Wu 1981, pp. 33–35.
  7. Cantlie 1912, p. 61.
  8. Wu 1981, pp. 29–30.
  9. Huang 1998, pp. 4–11.
  10. Huang 1998, pp. 22–28.
  11. Hayton, Bill (2021-10-12). "The London kidnapping that changed China". New Statesman. Retrieved 2025-01-25.

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