It has also been thought that the Emperor has been misunderstood, being overestimated by some, and underestimated by others, and this because of his peculiar type of mind and character. That he was unusual, no one will deny; that he was the originator of many of China's greatest reform measures, is equally true; but that he lacked the power to execute what he conceived, and the ability to select great statesmen to assist him, seems to have been his chief shortcoming.

To my wife for her help in the preparation of this volume, and to my father-in-law, Mr. William Sinclair, M. A., for his suggestions, I am under many obligations.

I. T. H.

CONTENTS

I. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—HER EARLY LIFE]
II. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—HER YEARS OF TRAINING]
III. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—AS A RULER]
IV. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—AS A REACTIONIST]
V. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—AS A REFORMER]
VI. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—AS AN ARTIST]
VII. [THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—AS A WOMAN]
VIII. [KUANG HSU—HIS SELF-DEVELOPMENT]
IX. [KUANG HSU—AS EMPEROR AND REFORMER]
X. [KUANG HSU—AS A PRISONER]
XI. [PRINCE CHUN—THE REGENT]
XII. [THE HOME OF THE COURT—THE FORBIDDEN CITY]
XIII. [THE LADIES OF THE COURT]
XIV. [THE PRINCESSES—THEIR SCHOOLS]
XV. [THE CHINESE LADIES OF RANK]
XVI. [THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE CHINESE WOMAN]
XVII. [THE CHINESE LADIES—THEIR ILLS]
XVIII. [THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES OF A DOWAGER PRINCESS]
XIX. [CHINESE PRINCES AND OFFICIALS]
XX. [PEKING—THE CITY OF THE COURT]
XXI. [THE DEATH OF KUANG HSU AND THE EMPRESS DOWAGER]
XXII. [THE COURT AND THE NEW EDUCATION]

I

The Empress Dowager—Her Early Life

All the period since 1861 should be rightly recorded as the reign of Tze Hsi An, a more eventful period than all the two hundred and forty-four reigns that had preceded her three usurpations. It began after a conquering army had made terms of peace in her capital, and with the Tai-ping rebellion in full swing of success....

Those few who have looked upon the countenance of the Dowager describe her as a tall, erect, fine-looking woman of distinguished and imperious bearing, with pronounced Tartar features, the eye of an eagle, and the voice of determined authority and absolute command.—Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore in "China, The Long-Lived Empire."