1793: British ambassador causes uproar by refusing to kowtow to the Chinese emperor.

Last week: “The National Theatre, the Royal Academy of Arts, Somerset House and the London Eye will this evening all turn red, with the aid of giant red spotlights, in honour of the Communist regime. The long Thames frontage of Somerset House will become a huge wall of red while the president sits down to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Even fountains in the courtyards of Somerset House and Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy, will, with special lighting effects, appear to spout red water in honour of the visit [of the Chinese dictator].”

It would, perhaps, have been more appropriate if the Brits had simply splattered their monuments with blood.