Li Hongzhang's Poem After 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki:

I was inspired by the House of Flying Daggers

Having never released horse saddles or left chariots,

I painstakingly worked out;

Till the reckoning of disaster did I find out

that it was not easy to simply die.

For 300 years, the foot-steps of my motherland had been staggering;

Along the road of 8000 li distance

were scenes of hardship-stricken mourning populace.

In the sobre autumn winds, I, a minister in solitude, was in tears

beside my treasured sword;

With the sun setting, I now stand by the campaigning flag on the generalissimo's altar;

Dusts of war are still floating over all seas, with no sign of settling down;

Gentlemen, please not look upon the developments of our country

as a disinterested bystander.