Then, following the normal course of a young Chinese gentleman under the Manchu regime, he sat for the Civil Service examinations, the stepping-stone to official life, and passed with honours. By that time, he had already gained a reputation as a poet of distinction.
After serving as a minor official in various capacities" for ten years, he was appointed a secretary to the Chinese Legation in Tokyo in 1891 There, he acquired a knowledge of Japanese and English.
Two years later, he was promoted Consul-General at Kobe, where he showed great discretion. and tact in Commissioner in Anhwei and Kwantung where he was kept busy maintaining order in face of the revolutionary activities of the Tung Meng-hui and its successor, the Kuomintang. His rule was noteworthy for the fact that he pursued a policy of persuasion rather than force in dealing with recalcitrants, but was merciless in his suppression of banditry. In recognition of the success he had achieved the Regent invested him with the Star of the Order of the Double Dragon.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.