After the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, Western powers began to more aggressively impose themselves on the semi-colonial Qing Empire. This inter-imperial competition certainly did not prevent cooperation and continuous exchange of imperial practices, and these powers found each other in imposing a joint discourse of modernity. To pay lip service to a certain "standard of civilization", the leaders of such semi-colonial states appointed Western diplomatic advisers.

In 1936, the Australian War Memorial acquired two stone lions that once guarded the Menin Gate entrance to the Belgian town of Ypres. The Memorial’s director, John Treloar, felt the Memorial had scored a “great scoop” because of their “historical value”. However, when the lions arrived in Canberra, it was apparent the damage they sustained during the war meant they would need to undergo some form of restoration. Unfortunately, little progress was made in this endeavour for several decades and the lions did not end up going on permanent display until 1991.