黃遵憲喺1882年（光緒八年）至1885年出任清政府駐美國三藩市總領事，親眼目睹1884年美國總統選舉，點不知噉冇啟迪佢思想革新，反而令佢越來越保守。佢作詩歌《紀事》記載美國總統大選嘅情況同佢嘅感觸，結論係「共和政體萬不能施行於今日之吾國」。
Huang Zunxian served as the Qing government's consul general in San Francisco, United States from 1882 to 1885, and witnessed the United States presidential election in 1884. He wrote a poem called "Chronicle" in which he recorded United States presidential election and his feelings, concluding that "a republic cannot be applied to our country today."