Yung Wing (容闳, 1828-1912) was the first Chinese graduate of Yale University (class of 1854) and went on to have a long and diverse career as an interpreter, tea trader, diplomat, educator, military procurement specialist, and writer.
In his autobiography 我在中国和美国的生活 My Life in China and America, he recounts an incident that took place in Shanghai after his return from the United States via Hong Kong. Yung Wing was insulted by a Scotsman and took matters into his own hands, punching the Scot in the mouth in front of the British consul and calling out the man as a ‘blackguard.’ It’s an amusing story, but Yung Wing draws from it an analogy for the Chinese nation:
“The incident was the chief topic of conversation for a short time among foreigners, while among the Chinese I was looked upon with great respect, for since the foreign settlement on the extra-territorial basis was established close to the city of Shanghai, no Chinese within its jurisdiction had ever been known to have the courage and pluck to defend his rights, point blank, when they had been violated or trampled upon by a foreigner. Their meek and mild disposition had allowed personal insults and affronts to pass