Gossip Girl: Chinese Qing dynasty edition

There is nobody more glamorously controversial than “Princess” Derling of the Qing dynasty. She lies somewhere between Meghan Markle and Kim Kardashian, except with better etiquette.

Born to a Han-Banner ambassador dad who married a mixed-blood Caucasian-Chinese woman, the Yu sisters were no strangers to the upper society since birth. They were also extremely well travelled and multicultural for their time, and spoke many languages such as English, French, Japanese, beyond Mandarin Chinese (although I’m not sure if she spoke any Manchurian).

Although the two sisters were not brought up with the protocols of Chinese Imperial family and were extremely westernised, they were very adaptable and respectful of the imperial protocols. There were instances where, in the biographies of Rongling, she successfully diffused a potentially awkward and politically sensitive situation between the Empress Dowager and the Japanese ambassador’s wife.

There was also a video of “Princess” Derling giving a speech on world peace in English, fit for a pageant. The most iconic quote from Princess Derling in that speech is, “The Chinese flapper is not far behind her American sisters to become emancipated”. Eloquently expressed.

Like Kim Kardashian, the entire Yu family is famous for being famous in the West. They were very good at marketing themselves and great at creating gossips. “Princess” Derling, in particular, published several books milking her time serving the Empress Dowager Cixi, and gave herself the title “Princess” despite the lack of official records to support that claim. But I guess, Americans are in love with the idea of royalties, regardless of nationality, so when she finally settled down in American, she still received a lot of interests from the local media.

If the British Queen = Empress Dowager Cixi, then “Princess” Derling would be close to Meghan Markle for her obsession with the royal title despite a brief stint with the imperial family, and her incessant attempt to exploit it commercially in her many biographies and books. It is for the same reason that her biographies were met with great skepticism as one could never be sure if it was a work of fiction or fact.

Like Meghan, she sells the privacy of the imperial family for her own selfish benefit. The saving grace—at least she is gracious about the people whose privacy she compromised.

Spotted, the Yu Family’s women on 1901 Tatler, the year when it was founded. At a time when there were very limited printed publications and news source, features like this definitely carried more weight than what it is today.

Spotted again, the Yu sisters in Chicago Tribune the same year for their costumes at a fancy dress party.

And “Princess” Derling on the news again later that year.

You’re probably wondering about that image earlier in Tatler, with Rongling in a Japanese Kimono. Unlike Kim Kardashian with her distasteful appropriation of the Japanese kimono, the Yu sisters had way more cultural awareness and sophistry. They lived in Japan for a good period of time, and Rongling was particularly interested in dance so she learnt the traditional Japanese dance as well during their stay. Thus their pictures in kimono.

While many are quick to dismiss Derling as an attention-seeker, they often neglected the contributions she made to China and the Chinese community. Der Ling was chairperson for the Rice Bowl festivities, fundraising that raised 20 million for the Chinese War Relief Association (Chinese Americans on their own gave 25 million) and helped to bridge the gap between Chinese Americans and Americans. 

In her autobiography, Derling mentioned that she left the palace because of her father’s health condition, similar to what Rongling claimed in her book. However, a few other books/records indicated that they were chased out of the palace because they pocketed the money that the Empress Dowager rewarded to a foreign painter!

If you would like to have a gossip-filled Qing dynasty + Chinese Republican era history lecture on China and the West, including fashion development and the few interesting personalities in history, join us for a light-hearted lecture in English at Yaji!

If you would like to interact with a personality like Princess Derling, except in a parallel universe where the Manchurian Monarchy continues to rule over China today, and see what she has to say about the Chinese identity, and the Empress Dowager, then you can join us at the Yaji Speakeasy event itself!

We promise you not only juicy gossips of the royal family, but how that relates to to the historical development of China over the last few centuries.