Tsinghua School was a preparatory school for studying in the United States established by the Qing Dynasty using part of the Boxer Indemnity money returned by the United States.

After the Boxer Protocol, Chinese national consciousness awakened, and opposing foreign goods gradually became a means of struggle for the Chinese public. Within 19 years, US exports to China plummeted. American capitalists once lamented: "If the movement to boycott American goods continues, major factories could be closed for as long as six months."

As the most powerful industrial country in the world at that time, US Minister to China William Woodville Rockhill suggested to the President to return part of the Boxer Indemnity to save the current severe situation, and suggested using the returned funds for sending Chinese students to study in the United States. The Americans' calculation was extremely precise; they believed that if they wanted to obtain the greatest benefits in commerce, politics, and spirit in China, they must successfully educate China's younger generation.

The United States even declared, 'We can bar Chinese laborers from entering, but we must treat international students well. If we can successfully control the younger generation, we can successfully control the development of a country and manipulate their leaders with knowledge and spirit.'

So in 1924, when the He Rui government annihilated foreign garrisons in China, including the US, the American directors of Tsinghua School continued to stay in China. In 1926, when Chinese legal experts at the Asian International Tribunal and Chinese media characterized the US government as a barbaric government and American civilization as a barbaric civilization, the American directors of Tsinghua School still remained in China.

On April 30, 1927, the strong wind from the north stopped, and the sky filled with wind and sand instantly turned into a clear sky for miles. The clear sunlight slanted onto the main gate of Tsinghua School. Several policemen from the local police station showed their IDs to the school guard, and the gate opened immediately.

Several policemen walked into the empty teaching building and entered the American director's office. This director had long known this day would come, so his expression was actually much more relaxed.

The leading policeman handed a document to the American director, "According to Article 13 of the 'Special Ordinance on Hygiene and Epidemic Prevention of the Republic of China', personnel from the United States must report to the Hygiene and Epidemic Prevention Department every week on their own initiative and accept epidemic prevention inspection. Given that you have not taken the initiative to go for inspection for two weeks, we are now taking you to accept inspection."

The American director immediately expressed strong protest verbally, but showed no resistance in action.

Soon, the American director and American teachers within Tsinghua School were taken out of the campus and stuffed into a cage cart waiting outside. Not only in Beiping (Beijing), but such arrests were also being carried out all over China. Those Yankees were sent to various epidemic prevention stations like livestock, ready to undergo hygiene and epidemic prevention inspections.

John Leighton Stuart, President of Yenching University, stood at the entrance of the teaching building and shouted loudly to the police who came to take people away, "This is an atrocity! This is uncivilized behavior!"

The policeman looked at the surrounding students watching and said loudly and unhappily, "As a plague-spreading country, the United States has killed tens of millions of people in the world. conducting regular epidemic prevention inspections on you is the civilized action."

The so-called Spanish Flu originated in the United States and caused tens of millions of deaths worldwide. This matter, with the deepening of investigations and the publicity of European and Chinese newspapers, had basically become a world consensus. Stuart certainly knew that the reason he and the American teachers of Yenching University were arrested had nothing to do with this, and he also knew why the Republic of China government insisted on taking Americans in China away for quarantine.

Stuart said firmly, "I won't go with you!"

"Are you sure?" the policeman asked.

"Yes! I won't go with you!" Stuart threw caution to the wind. He knew that if he refused like this, the result would inevitably be knocked down by the police and taken away. But Stuart believed he had no reason to obediently accept such humiliating treatment.

As a missionary school, Yenching University had few new enrollments in the past two years, and there were few students left about to graduate. Those Chinese students looked at President Stuart being so tough, only watching with complex expressions from the side, without any words, let alone any action.

After confirming Stuart's non-cooperation, the policemen didn't use force but turned and left. Stuart immediately asked someone to call the US Consulate in Beiping to ask them to find a way to come for rescue. When the call went through, the female operator answered in standard working language, " The line is busy now, please call again later."

This was really not the operator playing tricks; now all the telephones of the US Consulate in Beiping were being answered. Not only Yenching University was calling the US Consulate, but all American institutions in Beiping, and Americans in China who had the opportunity to make phone calls, were calling for help.

At this time, the big iron gate of Yenching University was completely opened. A group of hygiene and epidemic prevention personnel wearing white coats and gas masks walked into the campus of Yenching University. The two leading them held flags; the flag on the left read 'Hygiene and Epidemic Prevention is Greater than Heaven!', and the flag on the right read 'Source of Infectious Diseases Must be Discovered First and Early'.

The epidemic prevention personnel following the flags held catchpoles and lassos for controlling large livestock, pushing carts with iron cages for livestock on them, entering Yenching University along the road.

Stuart was born in Hangzhou, China, and was very familiar with Chinese culture. When the police left, Stuart initially thought that some armed police would rush in next, and he was prepared to be beaten. But he absolutely didn't expect that the Chinese side actually dispatched a formation for catching livestock. Stuart's mind was full of astonishment, stunned in place.

Other American teachers were also shocked; they kept retreating and finally ran away. The Chinese epidemic prevention personnel divided into squads, and each squad leader shouted, "Don't let these sources of infection run away! Follow me!"

Members of each epidemic prevention squad agreed in unison, rushing straight to those fleeing American teachers of Yenching University. Each squad was responsible for one, starting the chase and interception.

Stuart knew he couldn't run at all, so he simply didn't leave. Seeing him so cooperative, the squad members responsible for Stuart arrived in front of him. First, they pinned a cloth sign with 'Not Quarantined' written in red pen on the front of Stuart's clothes with a safety pin, then pulled over an iron cage, opened the cage door, 'Mr. Stuart, please.'

Stuart refused to go in, so he could only be pushed into the iron cage by Chinese epidemic prevention personnel wearing white coats and gas masks, who locked the cage door from the outside. Through the gaps in the iron cage bars, Stuart saw the American teachers of Yenching University quickly lassoed or covered by thrown nets, controlled one by one like livestock, tagged with 'Not Quarantined' signs, and sent into iron cages.

Some American teachers tore off the 'Not Quarantined' signs and threw them out of the iron cages. The Chinese epidemic prevention personnel neither beat nor scolded them but took out banners written with 'Not Quarantined', unfolded them, and inserted them on top of the iron cages. These banners were much larger and could be seen clearly from afar.

During the arrest process, some reporters wearing masks followed the Chinese epidemic prevention personnel to take photos or film videos.

When the arrest ended, the iron cages were transported out of the Yenching University campus, lifted onto horse-drawn carriages waiting outside, and headed for the hygiene and epidemic prevention points in Beiping. Pedestrians on the street looked curiously at this long queue of horse-drawn carriages, while Stuart endured the first public display (shaming) in his life.

China is a civilized country, and epidemic prevention inspections strictly follow process standards. The epidemic prevention period is once a week. Americans in China who completed the inspection process like livestock all received a cloth certificate with 'April 30, 1927, Qualified' written in blue pen.

The heads of various hygiene and epidemic prevention stations told the Americans seriously, "You must wear this when you go out. Otherwise, you will be taken to the epidemic prevention station for inspection again. Remember to come for inspection on time next week."

The hygiene and epidemic prevention stations not only gave verbal instructions but also thoughtfully provided instructions in both Chinese and English, then let the Americans in China go back.

On the evening of April 30, a large number of Americans in China began to buy boat tickets or even plane tickets to leave China. Countless telegrams were sent from China to the United States and newspaper offices around the world.

Especially those foreign reporters in China. China's actions were public; they not only took photos but also wrote various news reports, either serious or mocking. From any angle, the conflict erupting between China, a Great Power on the west coast of the Pacific, and the United States, a Great Power on the east coast of the Pacific, caused a strong impact on the world order.

The news from *The Times* reporter was very optimistic, '...The conflict between China and the US stems from the "Chinese Exclusion Act", a rare law in human history aimed at restricting the exchange of a certain race. From any angle, this is full of insults.

As for what reaction the US will have and whether a war between China and the US will break out, our newspaper believes that this risk is very low. According to the ratio of naval tonnage of various countries in the "Washington Naval Treaty", the United States has the same share as the British Empire. In terms of the quantity and quality of the fleet, the United States undoubtedly possesses the second most powerful fleet in the world. But the current Chinese government is neither the Manchu Qing government nor the Beiyang government. The US Navy has absolutely no way to truly threaten China. Therefore, taking military action against China is a foolish choice.

Will the intensification of Sino-US contradictions cause the regional situation to deteriorate? Our newspaper also thinks it is impossible. The biggest economic relationship between China and the US is trade relations. US goods have been trying to fully open the Chinese market, and the competitiveness of Chinese goods is far inferior to the US. Trade interruption has little impact on both China and the US, and its influence on surrounding countries is not significant. As long as war does not break out, this trade war will not change the macro situation...'

The evaluation of the French *Le Figaro* was even more optimistic, '...Compared with Sino-US trade, trade between China and France is much longer. As a top industrial country in the world, France has advanced industry and profound accumulation. The United States stole a large amount of technology from France and used its convenience in transportation to obtain an undeserved share in the Chinese market.

Now, France is undoubtedly China's most suitable trading partner. China has a vast and dynamic population and is the most promising market in the world today. France must not lose such an opportunity again. Countless orders needed by French factories need to be obtained from China...'

On May 1, the White House spokesman made a brief statement to reporters, 'The US government expresses concern about the actions of the Chinese government and strongly opposes the rude behavior of the Chinese government.'

After speaking, regardless of the reporters behind asking questions one after another, he turned and left.

Senior financial and political media such as *USA Today* (Note: likely anachronistic or fictional paper in context, kept as text) and *The Wall Street Journal* pointed out sharply in their reports, '...The conflict between China and the United States is not a battle of will, but a profound economic struggle. If this struggle cannot be resolved, all US efforts to open the Chinese market will end in failure, and Sino-US trade may return to zero.'

Ten hours later, at the press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a large number of American reporters scrambled to ask for the opportunity to speak. Finally, the reporter from *The Wall Street Journal* got the chance to ask questions. The reporter immediately asked with a machine-gun-like speech speed, "May I ask if China's action against the United States is to retaliate against the 'Chinese Exclusion Act'?"

Hearing this, the Foreign Ministry spokesman laughed easily, "The 'Chinese Exclusion Act' is a domestic law of the United States; China does not interfere in the internal affairs of the United States. I declare again that all China's actions have nothing to do with the 'Chinese Exclusion Act'!"

On May 3, after reporting the full content of this press conference, *The Wall Street Journal* clearly gave its view, 'Based on the statement of the spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we can be sure that the Sino-US trade war has officially begun!'