When Wu Ting Fang① served as Minister to the United States from the Ching court, he visited Chicago. A native of the Windy City② said to him at a reception, "Mr Wu, I see there is a movement in China to abolish the pigtails you wear. Why do you wear the foolish thing anyhow?"
"Well," countered Wu, "why do you wear your foolish mustache?"
"Oh, that's different," said the Chicago man, "you see I've got an impossible mouth."
"So I should suppose," retorted Wu, "judging from your remarks."
伍廷芳①任清廷駐美公使期間，曾訪「風之城」芝加哥②。在一個招待會上，一個當地人對他說：「伍先生，我知道中國有鼓吹去辮者。不管怎樣，你為什麼留這樣可笑的辮子？」
伍廷芳反問說：「嗯，那你為什麼蓄這樣可笑的鬍子？」
那芝加哥人說：「啊，這可不同。我天生嘴巴不討好嘛。」
伍廷芳譏諷說：「這個嗎，聽聽你說的話就知道。」
①伍廷芳生於一八四二年，為廣東香山人，十四歲到香港求學，肄業於聖保羅書院。民國成立，任司法外交等部總長。一九二二年去世。
②芝加哥又名「風之城」，或曰是因當地政治人物之言行有如狂風。