Wu Tingfang

Wu Tingfang built a legal career before entering diplomacy. After work as a court interpreter in Hong Kong, he studied law in London and was called to the English bar in 1876. He became the first Chinese barrister, opened a practice in Hong Kong, and served on its Legislative Council. Joining Li Hongzhang's staff in 1882 brought him into railway development and treaty negotiations. ^{1, 2}

As minister in Washington, Wu handled immigration, commercial, and political questions while China faced foreign intervention. He helped develop the Library of Congress's Chinese collection and negotiated a commercial treaty with Mexico. During the Boxer crisis, he used his position to transmit proposals for negotiation: on August 12, 1900, he informed the State Department that Li Hongzhang had been appointed peace plenipotentiary and requested a halt to the advance of foreign forces while talks were arranged. ^{1, 3}

Between his two American postings, Wu worked on commercial treaties and legal reform. With Shen Jiaben, he helped revise the Qing legal system, including the abolition of particularly severe corporal punishments in 1905. Their proposed criminal procedure reforms encountered opposition, and Wu resigned from that work in 1906. ¹

After the 1911 Revolution, Wu represented the revolutionary side in negotiations with Tang Shaoyi. He became minister of justice in the provisional republican government and later served as foreign minister and acting premier. ^{1, 2}