Hometown hero in the Qing Dynasty

Chen Lanbin, China's first ambassador to the United States, is still honored by the people of Zhanjiang, a port city in western Guangdong, more than a century after he made a name for himself.

Chen (1816-1895), a native of Wuchuan in Zhanjiang, dedicated his life to the promotion of Sino-US cooperation and protecting the legal rights and interests of the large number of overseas Chinese in the US during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Chen also urged the Qing government to open the door to the outside world to learn from advanced countries to help develop the country's economy.