After some uprisings directed by Sun Yat-sen were crushed by the Ch'ing government, Sun was forced to leave Japan and Hong Kong. He came to Hanoi with Huang Hsing, Hu Han-min, and others, where he established a temporary headquarters. From Hanoi and Lang-Son, Sun directed the Chen-nan-kuan uprising. The unsuccessful revolt of Hokow was also engineered in Vietnam.

Distribution networks are particularly chaotic in the ‘on’-trade which has steadily lost ground to the ‘off’-trade. Estimates for the volumes of wines consumed in public vary wildly but now usually point down towards to 25%.

The vesper bell had rung its parting note; the domini were mostly caged in comfortable quarters, discussing the merits of old port; and the merry student had closed his oak, to consecrate the night to friendship, sack, and claret.

Thank God! he cried brokenly, all the pent emotion of the long night vibrant in his tremulous voice.