Two Years in the Forbidden City, by The Princess Der Ling - Akasha Classics, AkashaPublishing.Com - Gain a fascinating glimpse into the vanished world of imperial China with Two Years in the Forbidden City. Der Ling was the daughter of a Chinese statesman, and served as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager Ci-Xi in the early years of the 20th Century. Her insider view gives a captivating and surprisingly intimate portrait of the Dragon Lady, who ruled China for 47 years, and brought the country to the brink of destruction. Shortly afterwards Der Ling married an American and, styling herself a 'princess', wrote a series of books about her experiences. Two Years in the Forbidden City is the first of these unique memoirs, and is an exceptional first-hand account of the inner workings of the highly secretive world of the imperial palace, and a detailed portrait of the life and personality of the Empress Dowager.

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - MY father and mother, Lord and Lady Yu Keng, and family, together with our suite consisting of the First Secretary, Second Secretary, Naval and Military Attaches, Chancellors, their families, servants, etc., - altogether fifty-five people, - arrived in Shanghai on January 2, 1903, on the S.S. Annam from Paris, where for four years my father had been Chinese Minister. Our arrival was anything but pleasant, as the rain came down in torrents, and we had the greatest difficulty getting our numerous retinue landed and safely housed, not to mention the tons of baggage that had to be looked after. We had found from previous experience that none of our Legation people or servants could be depended upon to do anything when travelling, in consequence of which the entire charge devolved upon my mother, who was without doubt the genius of the party in arranging matters and straightening out difficulties. When the launch from the steamer arrived at the jetty off the French Bund, we were met by the Shanghai Taotai (the highest official in the city), the Shanghai Magistrate and numerous other officials, all dressed in their official robes. The Taotai told my father that he had prepared the Tien Ho Gung (Temple of the Queen of Heaven) for us to reside in during our stay in Shanghai, but my father refused the offer, saying that he had telegraphed from Hong Kong and made all arrangements to go to the Hotel des Colonies in the French Concession.

This is a new release of the original 1929 edition.

This is a new release of the original 1929 edition.

Take a journey into the world of China's most feared Empress. This true story was the first eyewitness account of the Imperial Court written by a Chinese aristocrat for Western readers. It provides an up-close personal view of the notorious Dowager Empress Tzu-hsi in the final years of her reign. Enhanced with rich imagery and additional historical notes, "Two Years in the Forbidden City" is a vivid trip into the grandeur and intrigue of China's last dynasty. * Featuring a new introduction, author biography and afterword by author/editor Noel Fletcher which provides context for this book in modern Chinese history. * Includes interesting historical details and photos about China's infamous Dowager Empress Tzu-hsi (Cixi), the Boxer Rebellion, the Imperial Court, and other people featured in the narrative. * Illustrated with 100+ historical photographs, illustrations, and paintings from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - MY father and mother, Lord and Lady Yu Keng, and family, together with our suite consisting of the First Secretary, Second Secretary, Naval and Military Attaches, Chancellors, their families, servants, etc., - altogether fifty-five people, - arrived in Shanghai on January 2, 1903, on the S.S. "Annam" from Paris, where for four years my father had been Chinese Minister. Our arrival was anything but pleasant, as the rain came down in torrents, and we had the greatest difficulty getting our numerous retinue landed and safely housed, not to mention the tons of baggage that had to be looked after. We had found from previous experience that none of our Legation people or servants could be depended upon to do anything when travelling, in consequence of which the entire charge devolved upon my mother, who was without doubt the genius of the party in arranging matters and straightening out difficulties. When the launch from the steamer arrived at the jetty off the French Bund, we were met by the Shanghai Taotai (the highest official in the city), the Shanghai Magistrate and numerous other officials, all dressed in their official robes. The Taotai told my father that he had prepared the Tien Ho Gung (Temple of the Queen of Heaven) for us to reside in during our stay in Shanghai, but my father refused the offer, saying that he had telegraphed from Hong Kong and made all arrangements to go to the Hotel des Colonies in the French Concession. We had had previous experience staying in this temple while on our way to Japan, where my father went as Minister in 1895, and did not care to try it a second time. The building is very old and very much out of repair. It was a beautiful place in its prime, but had been allowed to go to rack and ruin. The custom is that the magistrate has to find a place and supply the food, etc., for high officials when passing through, and it is not exactly the thing to refuse their kind offer, but my father was always very independent and politely declined all proffers of assistance.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Princess Dar Ling's chronicle of life at court.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Two Years in the Forbidden City, by The Princess Der Ling - Akasha Classics, AkashaPublishing.Com - Gain a fascinating glimpse into the vanished world of imperial China with Two Years in the Forbidden City. Der Ling was the daughter of a Chinese statesman, and served as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager Ci-Xi in the early years of the 20th Century. Her insider view gives a captivating and surprisingly intimate portrait of the Dragon Lady, who ruled China for 47 years, and brought the country to the brink of destruction. Shortly afterwards Der Ling married an American and, styling herself a 'princess', wrote a series of books about her experiences. Two Years in the Forbidden City is the first of these unique memoirs, and is an exceptional first-hand account of the inner workings of the highly secretive world of the imperial palace, and a detailed portrait of the life and personality of the Empress Dowager.

Princess Dar Ling's chronicle of life at court.