'I do not forget the lonely remoteness of your island, cut off from the world
by intervening wastes of sea'.
A quote from the Qianlong Emperor of China on meeting a delegation of British Envoys in 1793. They had spared no expense in making the best possible impression on the court, in order to open the doors to trade in the East.
The answer to trade with the tiny country situated on the edge of the globe was of course a definite no.
(from 'The High Road to China')
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