How did the "female official system" develop in ancient China?
What exactly is the position of the "female official of the imperial court" in the Qing Palace
Former Female Officials: Photographs of De Ling and Rong Ling
Ancient China has long been in a patriarchal society, and the economy is a matter for men. In most cases, only men are allowed to serve as officials, but there is a special group - "female officials". Women can be called officials because they also have good rank, rank, and management responsibilities. Female officials basically do not participate in the affairs of the national economy and people's livelihood, but only serve the concubines of the inner court. Most of the female officials did not have the name of husband and wife with the emperor, only the distinction of kings and vassals.
The production of female officials varied from dynasty to dynasty, with some noble women directly entering the palace to serve as women, and some being selected from the people like draft women. Generally, after female officials selected from the people enter the palace, they will be under strict control like palace maidens. "All the offerings of all kinds of things for clothing, food, gold, silver, money, and utensils are played from the palace, and then the supervisor is sent to repeat the music, so that he can go to the ministry to receive it, and if the female official has passed, he will descend to the palace maid."
There were two ways to choose "female officials" in the Ming Dynasty:
First, a husbandless woman with good looks, knowledge, and talent is selected from the people.
Second, select shrewd and strong people from among the palace maids to serve. The number of years a female official of the Ming Dynasty served in the palace, according to the system prescribed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, "if you have served for more or five years and six years, your parents will follow and marry, and if a woman is ordained to be of a higher age, please return to the fate of heaven, and those who stay will listen." That is to say, after five or six years, female officials can voluntarily choose to stay.
The palace maids of the Qing Dynasty are divided into a total of nine grades: the official title of the third grade: Daizhao female official, the title of the fourth grade official: female official of the inner court, the title of the fifth grade official: female history, the title of the sixth grade official: Siji, the title of the seventh grade official: Zhaoxun, the title of the eighth grade official: Cai Nu, the official title of the ninth grade: Fengyi, and finally the one who does not list the grade is the palace maid.
Some female officials have high character and power, not only respected in the palace, but even welcomed by foreign officials, and some high-ranking female officials can have their own personal palace maidens, and can receive their own servants. But institutionally, female officials are only servants of the emperor.
What kind of group were the "female officials" in the Qing Palace?
Former Female Official: Photo of Yu Rongling
The female official of the Zhengsanpin was only set up in the Emperor's Palace.
(正四品) Female officials of the inner court are female officials in charge of managing the palace maids and assisting the empress, and managing the inner court female officials on duty.
The female history is only set in the palace of the empress and the imperial concubine, and can be exempted from the courtesy when she sees the relatives of the nobles below.
The sixth product is Siji, the seventh product is Zhaoxun, the eighth product is the girl, and the ninth product is fengyi.
Among these female officials, female officials who can work and serve the emperor and the empress dowager are also called "imperial attendants", that is, "female officials of the imperial court" from the second rank. Deling and Rong Ling are such former female officials.
Later, because the female official system ended abruptly after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Yu Deling and his sister Rong Ling were the last female officials in the Chinese court.
"Yu Deling", one of the eight female officials of the Forbidden City
The last "female official of the imperial court" in the Qing Dynasty
Yu Deling photo
Yu Deling, born in Wuchang in 1886 in the 12th year of Guangxu, was a native of the Manchurian Han Army, she was Yugeng's daughter, and her mother was a French woman named Louisa Pearson.
Yu Deling's biological mother: Louisa Pearson photo
So Yu Deling is a "two-stroke" (mixed-race). She was once made the county lord by Empress Dowager Cixi, also known as "Princess Deling" or "Lord of Deling County", and her pen name during her writing was Princess Deling.
Deling's second brother: Yu Xunling photo
The name of her eldest brother is unknown, the second brother Xunling, the fourth brother Xinling, and the fifth sister Rong Ling (Lord of Shoushan County). Deling was the third of five siblings, and her father Yugeng was a Manchu aristocrat and diplomat.
A group photo of Yu Deling and his family
Yu Deling spent her childhood and adolescence in Jingzhou and Shashi City, China. At that time, her father Yugeng was appointed by Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, to preside over the tax collection in Shashi City, as well as foreign affairs and teaching projects.
In De Ling's "Memoirs of the Political Situation in the Late Qing Dynasty", De Ling devotes the first seven chapters to the life of the people in Yesha City at the end of the 19th century, as well as the daily life of the government office.
Six years of living abroad as a teenager
Yu Deling dress photo
From 1895, Yugeng was appointed by the Qing court as an extraordinary and plenipotentiary minister to Japan, and Deling's family followed his father to Tokyo, Japan, where he spent three years.
Yu Deling's father: Yu Geng photo
After Yu Geng returned to China after his term in Japan, he was immediately sent to Paris to serve as an envoy to France. During this period, her life abroad was eye-opening, and she not only gained insight and experience through extensive contact with people from all walks of life in Western society, but also deeply appreciated the profound impact of modern civilization on human life in various fields.
On the right is Deling, and on the left is Deling's sister Rong Ling
As a teenager, Deling lived with her father in Japan and France for six years, not only learning foreign languages, but also having a broad vision and profound knowledge, she was proficient in the national conditions of various countries, and Deling was also a personal disciple of modern dance master Isadulla Duncan.
Isadulla Duncan
Isadulla Duncan, born in San Francisco, is an American dancer. She founded a free dance based on ancient Greek art that first became famous in Europe. Later, he opened dance schools in Germany, Russia, the United States and other countries, and became the founder of modern dance. She was the first artist in the world to perform barefoot on stage.
Her most famous works include the Marseillaise, the Slavic March, The Internationale, and the Sixth Symphony (composed by Tchaikovsky).
Duncan's dance works have been passed down very little, and her thoughts and statements are scattered in her autobiography and the memoirs of later generations. Duncan has been involved in dance reform and innovation throughout her life, and her practice and theories have had a great influence on the development of dance art at that time and later.
In 1922, Duncan married the Soviet poet Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin, with whom he broke up and traveled to Europe.
It has to be said that Isadora Duncan as a woman, she is unfortunate. She indulges her lusts and plays freely in the world of men, but at the same time is burdened by this indulgence. Because of her misdeeds, the men she fell in love with left her one by one.
She had been in a state of confusion and pain, and the biggest blow to her was that the child she had with her three lovers also died in an accident.
On September 14, 1927, Duncan died in a car accident in Nice, France.
Photo of Yu Deling Hanfu
Deling has gained more knowledge, broadened his horizons abroad, and is proficient in many Chinese languages. In the spring of 1903, the 29th year of Guangxu, De Ling, who was already 17 years old, returned to the capital with her father Yugeng, and because she was fluent in foreign languages and Western etiquette, she was recruited into the palace by Empress Dowager Cixi and her sister Rong Ling, becoming one of the eight female officials of the Forbidden City.
Empress Dowager Cixi and court officials
Empress Dowager Cixi's "eight female officials" were Yu Deling, Yu Rong Ling, Long Yu, Concubine Jin, Sigege, Grandma Yuanda, Princess Rongshou and Gualja Youlan.
Four-grid photo
Among them, only Yu Deling and his younger sister Yu Rongling grew up abroad, and compared to other women, Yu Deling and Yu Rongling are more open-minded and knowledgeable, and they are proficient in foreign languages.
The court life of Yu Deling's former female official
Summoned to become Empress Dowager Cixi's "Imperial Female Official"
Photo of Yu Deling flag
After Yugeng returned to China after his term of office, he was awarded the title of secretary of the Imperial Servant Temple and stayed in Beijing to recuperate. At this time, China was in the midst of an invasion by the great powers, and Empress Dowager Cixi was eager to curry favor with the envoys and their wives.
She learned from Prince Qing that Yugeng's daughter was fluent in foreign languages and Western etiquette, so she ordered Lady Yugeng to bring sisters Tongde Ling and Rong Ling to the palace for an audience. Later, together with his sister Rong Ling, De Ling became one of the eight female officials of the Forbidden City, acting as an interpreter for Empress Dowager Cixi's dealings with Western envoys and ladies.
Photo of De Ling and sister Rong Ling dress
In this way, Princess Deling, who is proficient in eight foreign languages, is beautiful and intelligent, enters the mysterious, strange and sinister Forbidden City Palace and becomes a former female official.
Although De Ling and Rong Ling were named female officials of the imperial court by Empress Dowager Cixi, the Qing Dynasty at that time was already in danger, even so, they still attached great importance to various feudal systems and the so-called ancestral family "law", and easily refused to break it, and ordinary people would never be able to enter and leave the palace at will. This also makes the Forbidden City feel mysterious and unpredictable.
Photo taken by Empress Dowager Cixi when she was 68 years old
Photo taken by Empress Dowager Cixi when she was 68 years old
During the two years that the Deling sisters entered the palace, it was during the period between the age of 68 and 70 that Empress Dowager Cixi was born, during which Yu Deling had the privilege of spending time with Empress Dowager Cixi. De Ling not only looked outstanding, but she also brought many foreign gadgets from abroad, which indirectly inspired Empress Dowager Cixi's yearning for a "new life". She also often translated newspaper information in foreign languages for Empress Dowager Cixi in the palace.
De Ling later wrote in his memoirs: "When the Empress Dowager was in Miaoling, she was really a graceful and bright young man, which was often praised by the people in the palace; Even if Yi is gradually squeezed out by the years, after entering the old realm, he still retains a few touching postures! ”
De Ling, Empress Dowager Cixi, Rong Ling photo
Empress Dowager Cixi and Deling took a group photo
Yu Deling's position in the palace was to translate Empress Dowager Cixi's English and French languages. She was proficient in eight Chinese dialects, communicated freely with the wives of envoys from various countries, was deeply liked by the ladies, and contributed to the diplomatic work of the Qing government from the "lady line".
Introduction to Yu Deling in Western newspapers
Among them, the American Minister Mrs. Conger and the Chinese Secretary Mrs. Willens, the Russian Lady Beransand, the Spanish Minister Madame de Casse and Miss, the Japanese Minister Mrs. Uchida, the Portuguese Chargé d'affaires Mrs. Almeda, the French Chargé d'affaires Mrs. Tolan, and later the Japanese envoy Mrs. Ijiyuan were all accompanied by De Ling and his sister Rong Ling when they came to the palace to receive and translate with Empress Dowager Cixi.
Yu Deling photo
Deling and Rong Ling also took turns as stand-in models for Cixi portraits and stayed with the American painter Carl for many days. Deling also worked as an English teacher for the Guangxu Emperor, teaching him ballroom dancing and so on.
During this period, the Guangxu Emperor was already a prisoner, and Deling was one of the few people who could have direct contact with the Guangxu Emperor. According to Yu Deling's later recollections, she said that the Guangxu Emperor's eyes were shining, and although he did not look so strong, he always kept smiling in front of them. But even so, she could feel that he had a lot going on his mind.
Above the court, the Guangxu Emperor had no real power to speak, as if he were a puppet. Although Empress Dowager Cixi sometimes asked for his opinion, he often greeted him and did not raise any objections. But when Yu Tak Ling taught him to learn English, he would show unprecedented vitality and interest, and he would be completely like a different person.
Life in the Qing court made Yu Deling also know the knack for gift-giving, and her way of giving gifts was to be fresh and not necessarily expensive. Therefore, she gave small gifts such as small combs, small mirrors, and perfumes brought back by her mother from France to Empress Dowager Cixi, who also loved beauty, and thus won Cixi's favor.
In addition, Deling is good at Western art, plays the piano well, and dances ballet at a very high level. Because Yu Deling was familiar with Western etiquette and was familiar with foreign Chinese, she did help Empress Dowager Cixi solve many diplomatic problems. Cixi once wanted Yu Deling to stay by her side and help her find a good husband in the future. Empress Dowager Cixi had intended to marry Yu Delingxu to Ronglu's son Balong as a wife, but was freed by the Guangxu Emperor's design.
Yu Deling's mother, Deling, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Rong Ling
Yu Deling and Empress Dowager Cixi take a group photo
In daily life, the sisters and sons would often accompany Empress Dowager Cixi to put on makeup, play, watch plays, learn to drive, write, watch flowers, watch dogs, roll dice, and prepare for various festivals. Originally, according to their father Yugeng's status, Deling was not qualified to be the county lord.
Yu Deling photo
However, after the recollections of several people in the palace, during the 70th birthday festival, Empress Dowager Cixi did decree that the sisters Deling and Rongling be the county lords (Manchu for Heshuo Gege). Since there is no distinction between princesses and county lords in the West, foreign translators have translated the lord of Deling County into Deling princess, which caused a uproar.
When introducing Yu Deling's works, the translator Mr. Qin Xiaoou once said: "In fact, not only according to Chinese custom, all titles conferred by the dynasty that have fallen must be nullified, but if she really wants to retain the title she obtained in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, she can only be called "Lord of Deling County", because she and her sister Lady Rong Ling (Lord of Shanshou County) are not descendants of Nur Hachi's lineage, so they have no possibility of being crowned princesses."
His father Yugeng was seriously ill, and the Deling sisters left the palace
Yu Deling married an American man Withdrew Dius White
Yu Deling
In March 1905, because his father Yugeng was seriously ill, he went to Shanghai for medical treatment, and summoned the Deling sisters to Shanghai to accompany her father.
When parting, Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor went to see them off together. At this time, Empress Dowager Cixi, who was already an ancient old man, told Yu Deling to take care of his body, and after the matter was completed, he quickly returned to his side. The Guangxu Emperor also endured tears and endured the pain of bidding farewell to the Yu Deling sisters. They hurriedly resigned with Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor and left the Qing court.
Through two years of Qing Dynasty court life, De Ling also saw the cold, gloomy and sinister side of the palace. The shuddering feeling of "cold in high places" also made the sisters feel palpitations every time.
Photo of Yu Deling and Empress Dowager Cixi
Taking advantage of her father's serious illness, Deling took the initiative to ask Cixi to go to Shanghai, and immediately left the court after being allowed, ending her life as a "former female official".
In December of the same year, Deling's father Yugeng died of illness in Shanghai, and Deling never returned to the palace on the grounds of "100 days of filial piety". After Yu Geng's death, Deling befriended the vice consul of the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, Thius White, and the two fell in love.
De Ling and American husband White
Yu Deling and American husband White
On May 21, 1907, Yu Deling and the American man Thaddeus White officially married in Shanghai. Since then, her husband White has stepped down from the U.S. consulate and remained in China to become a journalist.
Yu Deling dress photo
Yu Deling dress photo
In 1915, Deling and her husband White came from Shanghai to Los Angeles and settled in Los Angeles, becoming a Chinese American. Later, at the request of relatives and friends, Deling wrote down what she had seen and heard during her two years in the Qing court.
This was her first memoir written in English, "The Second Year of the Qing Palace", and she also became the first Chinese female writer to write in English. Yu Deling wrote this memoir in English based on her real-life experience as a former female official of Empress Dowager Cixi, and she is also famous for this strange life experience. As soon as this book came out, it quickly attracted widespread attention from people from all walks of life in Western society.
Playing Empress Dowager Cixi's "Former Female Official"
Deling performed Qing Palace operas in English in China
Photo of Yu Deling in old age
In 1911, Deling's first English book "Two Years of the Forbidden City" was published, signed by: Princess Deling, which caused strong repercussions at home and abroad. Koo Hongming was pleased to write an English book review for Deling, which was greatly appreciated.
Photo of Mr. Gu Hongming
Gu Hongming, known as Tang Sheng, Zi Hongming, Hao Licheng, self-proclaimed lazy, east, west, south and north, also known as Hanbin Reader, Mr. Dong Bao, was born in Penang, British Malaysia, South Sea.
He was fluent in ten languages, including Chinese, English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Latin, Greek and Malay, and was the first Chinese person in the Manchu Qing Dynasty to be proficient in Western science, language and oriental Chinese studies. Throughout his life, he was passionate about promoting Eastern culture and spirituality to Westerners.
Photo of Mr. Gu Hongming
In 1885, the eleventh year of Guangxu, Gu Hongming was introduced by Zhao Fengchang, the chief aide of Zhang Zhidong, and was able to enter the Yamen, the governor of Huguang, to do "foreign copywriting".
During his stay in Wuchang, Gu Hongming and Deling's father Yu Geng became close to each other, and the two worked together for five or six years.
Out of appreciation for the daughter of the deceased, Gu Hongming's English book reviews naturally contain personal emotional factors. It was precisely because of Gu Hongming's vigorous reward that it stimulated Deling's interest in writing Qing court works.
Yu Deling dress photo
In 1927, De Ling and her husband Chudius White's only son "Sadus" died tragically. She was so sad that she returned to China and stayed in Shanghai for a long time, during which time De Ling was on the one hand to relieve her worries, and on the other hand to negotiate the translation of her works into Chinese and publication in China.
Photo of Yu Deling in old age
From 1927 to 1928, De Ling returned to China to stay, and personally played the role of Empress Dowager Cixi, performing an "English Qing Palace Opera". She also found the great eunuch Xiao Dezhang and others to further recall and collect Qing palace materials.
Since then, De Ling has successively written and published in English memoirs such as "Memoirs of the Political Situation in the Late Qing Dynasty", "Records of the Orchid Xin of the Imperial Garden", "Records of the Blood of Yingtai", "Ethereal Records of the Imperial Fragrance" and other works reflecting the court and social and political life of the late Qing Dynasty, which were popular at home and abroad for a time, with a total word count of about 7.8 million words.
Yu Deling photo
Yu Deling photo
This middle-aged woman, who was active in Shanghai's social circles as Empress Dowager Cixi's "former female official", received close attention from the media at the time. Surrounded by people, wearing a court cheongsam and stepping on flowerpot-bottomed shoes, De Ling accompanied Li Shimin and Wu Ailian to the Lyceum Theater and performed a Qing palace drama in English.
And works such as "The Second Year of the Qing Palace" and "Memoirs of the Political Situation in the Late Qing Dynasty" written by De Ling in English were translated into Chinese by Gu Qiuxin and distributed in China after they became popular in the West.
Yu Deling photo
She was also the first Chinese female writer to write in English, and everyone called her "Princess Deling" at the time. Deling's works are also all the rage.
Deling's book "The Second Year of the Qing Palace" is a first-person narration detailing the life of the forbidden inner court of the Qing court from 1903 to 1904 AD.
It devotes a large amount of space to describing the diet, clothing, manners, and habits and character of Empress Dowager Cixi, the supreme female ruler of China at that time. Many chapters in the book are sufficient to corroborate the major events that have occurred, and thus show their due historical value with their irrefutable credibility.
Yu Deling photo
De Ling's English works based on little-known court secrets are a specific product of the early 20th century during the period of cultural exchange between China and the West.
Its biggest feature is that the author, De Ling, in a specific capacity of personal experience, introduces to Westerners the reality of the real life of China's high-level rulers, partially clarifies the rumors and lies imposed by the imperialists on Western readers, and to a certain extent retains the precious historical materials of Qing court life, providing supporting evidence and reference for future generations of academic research and literary creation. It is precisely because of the authenticity of these works that these works still have a wide range of readers and fans today.
Contribute to the war of resistance for the whole people
Start the speech as Princess Deling
Yu Deling photo
Although far from his homeland, during the Anti-Japanese War, Yu Deling still cared about the motherland and repeatedly used his international status and appeal to raise funds for China's public welfare.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Soong Ching-ling initiated the organization of the League for the Defense of China in Hong Kong, mobilizing overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese to share hatred and fight against foreign aggression. In the "China Night" and "One Bowl of Rice" campaigns held by the League for the Defense of China, Yu Deling followed the left and right, and also made his own contributions to raising funds and materials for the anti-Japanese army and civilians.
At that time, the main work of the Anti-Japanese War was medical treatment and child health care, and after learning about it, Yu Deling did his best to introduce to the international community and overseas compatriots what kind of terrible persecution China was experiencing, and through these methods to raise drugs and funds, and then transported them to the anti-war area through Soong Ching-ling's careful deployment.
Photo of Yu Deling during the Anti-Japanese War
Photo of Yu Deling during the Anti-Japanese War
In order to let the international understand China's tragic situation, Yu Deling was interviewed by Fox Audio and Video News in the United States. In order to get more attention and raise more funds, she specially dressed herself with the flag costumes and accessories rewarded by Empress Dowager Cixi, and specially gave interviews as a Chinese princess.
Because of Yu Deling's special status and rarely seen exotic attire, her video video calling for peace attracted the attention of Western elites from all walks of life, focusing on her magnificent elegance and China's painful suffering.
In order to raise more funds and obtain more support for the suffering Chinese compatriots, Yu Deling can be described as painstaking. When the country was in crisis, Yu Deling was also doing her best to make great contributions to the cause of resisting Japan, and her actions are also worth remembering.
The death of the last "Imperial Female Officer"
Yu Deling died in a car accident in Canada
Photo of Yu Deling in middle age
Photo of Yu Deling in old age
On November 22, 1944, Yu Deling died in a car accident in Canada, and at the time of the accident, Yu Deling was teaching at the California Branch of California, Berkeley, California, Southern California, as a Chinese teacher.
Yu Deling photo
According to the memories of the students Yu Deling once taught, in the eyes of the students, she was extraordinary, graceful, sincere, and well-organized, and she was a very popular teacher, and the students liked her.
However, a ruthless car accident ended Yu Deling's life early. That day, she was hit by a speeding truck near the Carlton Hotel in Berkeley, and the strong impact caused Yu Deling to die on the spot at the age of 58.
Photos of Yu Deling's life
From 1895, when he was nine years old, Deling went to Japan with his father to visit Paris, and was fortunate to become a disciple of the famous dancer Isadora Duncan.
In 1903, seventeen-year-old Deling was fortunate enough to be favored by Empress Dowager Cixi, the de facto ruler of the Qing Dynasty, and became a former female official in the Qing Palace, working as an "interpreter" (translation).
In 1907, Deling married White the U.S. Vice Consul in Shanghai. In 1915, she moved to Los Angeles to live in the United States, during which time she began to write in English, and signed several works under the name "Princess Deling", which became famous abroad.
Yu Deling photo
From a talented returnee from studying abroad to a court official favored by Empress Dowager Cixi, from the last "imperial female official" of the Qing Dynasty to a "popular" traveling beauty writer, it is a pity that her wonderful life with ups and downs has not been able to exchange for a happy and happy ending.
The life of Yu Deling, China's last "former female official", can also be described as colorful and wonderful! Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss!