Two Years in the Forbidden City

An insider's account of two years serving close to the Empress Dowager, offering detailed daily descriptions of palace rituals, ceremonies, festivals, audience procedures, clothing, and the lives of court ladies and attendants. The narrative combines personal anecdotes, descriptions of imperial celebrations and residences such as the Summer and Sea Palaces, portraits of prominent imperial figures, and reflections on protocol, reform-minded family background, and cultural contrasts between traditional court mores and Western influences. Chapters alternate between episodic scenes and topical studies, conveying the atmosphere, hierarchical order, and private routines behind formal state ceremonies.