Lizzie Yu Der Ling ( zh, t=裕德齡, w=Yü Tê-ling, p=Yù Délíng; 8 June 188122 November 1944), better known as "Princess" Der Ling, and also known as Elisabeth Antoinette White after her marriage to Thaddeus C. White, was the first

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

for

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

. Her father was the Chinese diplomat ; and her mother was Louisa Pierson, who was herself the half-Chinese daughter of a Boston merchant working in Shanghai. Although not a member of the Qing royal family, Der Ling was given the title of "commandery princess" while serving as the lady-in-waiting for Empress Cixi. She was a writer of several memoirs, books, and magazine articles.

Early life

Lizzie Yu Der Ling and Nellie Yu Roung Ling

Der Ling's father Yü Keng was a member of the Hanjun Plain White Banner Corps, and according to his daughter he was a Lord. This is of some doubt. After serving as Chinese minister to Japan, he was appointed minister to the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

for four years in 1899. He was known for his progressive, reformist views; for his determination to educate his children, including the girls, in western schools, which was highly unusual in their generation; and for his unvarying support of the

. In 1905, Yü Keng died in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. According to Der Ling's biographer, Der Ling's mother, Louisa Pierson, was the daughter of a Boston-born American and a Chinese woman. However, in the book, whatever her background, she is repeatedly referred to by other people as a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

. Yü Keng's daughters Der Ling and Roung Ling (1882–1973, the future Madame Dan Pao-tchao of

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

) received a western education, learning French and English, and studying dance in Paris with

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877, or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. Bor ...

. Der Ling was a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

baptised by the French bishop Alphonse Favier. While a young girl, she travelled with her father to Rome, and received papal blessing by the hand of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

during a private meeting.

Lady-in-waiting and later life

Upon their return to China, Der Ling became the first

to the

, as well as interpreting for her when she received foreign visitors. Der Ling stayed at court until March 1905. In 1907, Der Ling married Thaddeus C. White, an American. Der Ling and Thaddeus had one child a son Thaddeus Raymond White who died at 20 in 1933 due to pneumonia. Der Ling had a brother, John Yu Shuinling, who studied photography in France and later took the only photographs of Empress Dowager Cixi still in existence.Power, Play: China's Empress Dowager, exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, September 24, 2011–January 29, 2012 Using the title of Princess, which would create controversy for her in both China and the United States in the future, Der Ling wrote of her experiences in court in her memoir ''Two Years in the Forbidden City'', which was published in 1911. She states in her book that the status of Princess, which the Empress Dowager had given her, was valid only within the palace. As the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

, who was under a form of house arrest, never confirmed the title, it was not valid in the outside world. ''Two Years'' provides unique insights into life at the Manchu court and the character of the Empress Dowager, a world that ended abruptly with the

1911 Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

that overthrew the Manchu or

Qing dynasty 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 ...

. Der Ling continued to write and published seven more books. Der Ling was not a member of the Qing royal family. Although Der Ling claimed to be an ethnic Manchu, her father Yü Keng was actually a Han Chinese Bannerman and not part of the ethnic Manchu Banners. Her father was not royal but was a bannerman, just as Der Ling claimed she was a Manchu while she was actually a Chinese Bannerwoman.

Death

Der Ling died in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, as a result of being struck by a truck driver while crossing an intersection. She had recently taught Chinese at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Memoirs and writings

After Cixi's death in 1908, Der Ling professed to be so angered by what she saw as false portraits of Cixi appearing in books and periodicals that she wrote her own account of serving "Old Buddha", which she called "Two Years in the Forbidden City". This book appeared in 1911, just before the fall of the Qing dynasty, and was a popular success. In this book, Cixi is not the monster of depravity depicted in the popular press and in the second and third hand accounts left by foreigners who had lived in Beijing, but an aging woman who loved beautiful things, had many regrets about the past and the way she had dealt with the many crises of her long reign, and apparently trusted Der Ling enough to share many memories and opinions with her. Der Ling would go on to write seven more books about this relatively brief period in her youth when she had been close to the heart of declining imperial Chinese power, and sharing this personal history and her habit of promoting herself and her writings caused most of her family to turn against her. All of this has made it difficult to assess Der Ling's contribution to late Qing historiography. But the fact remains that she was the first Chinese woman to live with Cixi and observe her and then write about what it was like; if many of Der Ling's recollections smack of the every day minutiae of a court that thrived on details and form, her writings are no less valuable for focusing on them, particularly as life within the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

and the

Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quar ...

was a closed book for most people in China, let alone in the rest of the world. Her opinion was that it was misunderstanding of much of what emanated from the throne that created so many of the problems Cixi has been wholly blamed for.

Published works

Books

* ''Two Years in the Forbidden City'' (1911)Webarchive
/ref> *''Old Buddha'' (1928), with preface by Arthur J. Burks *''Kowtow'' (1929) *''Lotus Petals'' (1930) *''Jades and Dragons'' (1932) *''Golden Phoenix'' (1932) *''Imperial Incense'' (1933) *''Son of Heaven '' (1935)

Magazine pieces

* "White Fox: A Legend of Old China," ''

McCall's Magazine ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...

'', April 1929 * "The Forbidden City and Broadway," ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'', September 14, 1929 * "Aviation in China," ''Flyers'', October 1929 * "How China Went Air Minded," ''Flyers'', November 1929 * "Wings for Women," ''Flyers'', December 1929 * "Within the Golden City," ''The Saturday Evening Post'', December 21, 1929 * "A Quiet Day with a Chinese Family," ''The Mentor'', February 1930 * "Lady of the Lotus," ''The Household Magazine'', February 1930 * "Golden Bells," '' Holland's'', September 1930 * "Golden Phoenix," ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

'', December 1930 * "From Convent to Court," '' Pictorial Review'', January 1931 * "Lustrous Jade," ''Good Housekeeping'', February 1931 * "Beyond All Riches," ''Good Housekeeping'', August 1931 * "The Chu Pao Tai," ''The Household Magazine'', September 1931 * "At the Gate of Kwan Yin," ''Good Housekeeping'', November 1931 * "The Honorable Five Blessings," ''Good Housekeeping'', February 1932 * "America Sends Health to China," ''Physical Culture'', March 1932 * "Pu-yi, The Puppet Emperor of Japan," ''The Saturday Evening Post'', April 30, 1932 * "Singing Kites of Tai Shan," ''The Household Magazine'', August 1932 * "The Kingdom of the Swallows," ''Good Housekeeping'', February 1935

In popular culture

* The Yu sisters' life in the imperial court was dramatised in the 2006 Chinese television series '' Princess Der Ling'', in which Der Ling was played by Zhang Jingjing. A rather romanticised depiction of Der Ling's life, especially her relationship with Kevin White (based on Thaddeus C. White, portrayed by Jonathan Kos-Read). * In the 2010 Chinese-Japanese coproduction series ', the character Princess Shou An (Madam Zhang) is partially inspired by Princess Der Ling. * Der Ling was portrayed by in the 2016 Hong Kong television drama '' The Last Healer in Forbidden City''.

Notes

References

Princess Der Ling , Two Years in the Forbidden City

Princess Der Ling web site

External links

* * * * Princess Der Ling web sit

"Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Der Ling, Princess 1881 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Chinese historians 20th-century Chinese women writers 20th-century Roman Catholics American people of Manchu descent American Roman Catholics Catholics from California Chinese ladies-in-waiting Chinese memoirists Chinese people of American descent Chinese Roman Catholics Education in China Han Chinese Plain White Bannermen Historians from Hubei Pedestrian road incident deaths People from Berkeley, California People from Wuhan Qing dynasty historians Qing dynasty princesses University of California, Berkeley alumni Writers from Wuhan