华盛顿会议召开前,以马路商界联合会为代表的上海中、下层商人充满了期盼与希望,力主中国与会,乘势一举实现收复国权、废除二十一条的目的。会议期间则以函电、游行等方式对中国代表进行有力声援,会后协力开展筹款赎路与抵货运动,表达了中下层商人以和平示威为手段、以经济绝交为策略维护国权的理性诉求。但中、小商人的力量有限,国民外交终究难以解决国家外交层面上所应解决的问题。 Before the Washington Conference, the middle and lower middle-level businessmen in Shanghai, represented by the Road and Bridge Business Federation, were full of hope and hope, took the initiative in participating in the meeting in China, and took the opportunity to realize the goal of recovering their national rights and repealing Article 21. During the meeting, the representatives of China were strongly supported by letters, demonstrations and other means. After the meeting, they jointly launched the fund-raising solicitation and resistance exercise, expressing the middle and lower levels of merchants’ peaceful demonstrations as a means of maintaining economic rationality through rationality Appeal. However, the power of small and medium-sized businessmen is limited, and it is ultimately difficult for the diplomacy of the people to solve the problems to be solved at the diplomatic level of the country.