Charles Yu Hsingling ( zh, t=裕馨齡, w=Yü Hsin-ling, p=Yù Xīnlíng; 11 January 1879?), often referred to as Charles Hsingling, was a Hanjun Plain White bannerman who served as second secretary in the

Qing-dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and s ...

Embassy in France. He was also an engineer worked for the Qing imperial railways.

Biography

Born in an upper-class family, he was the younger son of , a high-ranking

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

official, and Louisa Pierson, a Chinese-American woman of mysterious antecedents. He had three siblings, the elder brother

John Yu Shuinling John Yu Shuinling ( zh, t=裕勛齡, w=Yü Hsün-ling, p=Yù Xūnlíng; 18741944), often referred to as John Shuinling (also spelt Shung-Ling), was a Hanjun Plain White bannerman who served as second secretary in the Qing-dynasty Embassy in Fr ...

, two younger sisters, Lizzie Yu Der Ling and Nellie Yu Roung Ling. He was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

baptised at the wish of his mother, and, like his siblings, received Western education in American missionary school. The British diplomat Sir Robert Hart described them as "a noisy family of English-speaking children, were fluent also in Japanese and French". From 1899 to 1902, he served as second secretary in the Qing-dynasty Embassy in France, where his father held a diplomatic post. The Yu siblings led a cosmopolitan life in Paris, they socialised, frequented the theatre and performed at their parents' parties. The weekly magazine reported that the four children of Minister Yu Keng "superbly performed" an English comedy in three acts at a soirée organised by their father. In March 1901, the Yus threw a fancy dress ball at the Chinese Embassy to celebrate Chinese New Year, at which Hsingling was costumed as

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, his siblings Shuinling, Roung Ling and Der Ling, were dressed respectively as

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

, Prince Charming and a doll in the fairy tale. He married Geneviève Deneu, a French piano teacher. The wedding took place at the Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule on 16 October 1902. Not much is known about his later life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Charles, Hsingling 1879 births Date of death missing Qing dynasty diplomats 19th-century Chinese diplomats 19th-century Chinese engineers 20th-century Chinese engineers Chinese Roman Catholics Chinese people of American descent Han Chinese Plain White Bannermen 20th-century Chinese diplomats