Buddhist Priest Asks a Favour of The Ambassador to China

Winston Load, an assistant Secretary of State and ambassador to China, tells about the time he and his wife, Bette, were driving outside Beijing. “We came to a Buddhist temple, and the head monk came out and greeted us. His eyes lit up when he heard that I was the ambassador, and that my wife was a famous author. “The monk said, ‘Would you do this temple a great honor and favor for our future visitors, to guide and instruct them? Would you write something in English?’ “He then handed me two wooden plaques and said, ‘Would you write in English on this plaque the word Ladies, and on this plaque the word Gentlemen?’” (Encyclopedia of Illustrations - #5544).