"Record of Tears from the Island Palace"

Author: De Ling
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Emperor Guangxu, one of the most unfortunate emperors in Chinese history, a king who had long been misunderstood and maligned. From the moment of his birth, he brought a series of inauspicious omens. And the place where he resided was deeply influenced by superstition. As he grew older, he was tightly bound by many unyielding rituals and customs, leaving him no room for freedom. His entire life was a series of interconnected tragedies.
De Ling, the "Imperial Concubine of the Emperor" to Empress Dowager Cixi, wrote her works in English, including Memoirs of a Concubine in the Qing Palace, Fragrance of Orchids in the Imperial Garden, Recollections of the Late Qing Political Situation, and the documentary works Tears of Blood on the Island of Penglai, The Ethereal Fragrance of the Imperial Palace. These works were translated into Chinese by Gu Qiuxin, Qin Shouou, and others, and circulated domestically. Her Qing Dynasty-themed English works were a specific product of the early 20th century, a period when Sino-Western cultural exchanges began to flourish. The greatest feature of her works is that the author, with her unique firsthand experience, introduced the realities of the lives of high-ranking Chinese rulers to the West, preserving valuable historical materials of Qing court life to some extent. These works still have a wide readership today.
Tears of Blood on the Island of Penglai provides a detailed account of Emperor Guangxu's life, his efforts to promote reforms and revitalize the Qing Dynasty.