PALACE CUSTOMS
The Empress Dowager is an early riser, but the joint Audiences which
Their Majesties now hold are never at the extraordinary hours in vogue
when His Majesty ruled alone. When there is a press of business, and
many heads of departments to be seen, the Audiences begin very early,
but they rarely extend past eleven o’clock--the usual hours being from
half-past seven to eleven.
When the Empress Dowager sleeps, a maid watches in her room, two
eunuchs stand on guard in the ante-chamber to the room, four watch
at the door of the ante-chamber, and her body-guard of eunuchs fill
the building where her private apartments are situated. The maid and
eunuchs who watch in the night are changed every second day. Only the
High Eunuchs are intrusted with the duty of guarding her bed-chamber
and Throne-room. At the Summer Palace, Her Majesty’s bedroom is not
more than fifteen feet square; the bed, like all in North China, is
built into an alcove in the room. Shelves run around the three inclosed
sides of the alcove, and on these are placed Her Majesty’s favorite
ornaments--small jade curios, books, and, of course, clocks. In this
bedroom I counted fifteen timepieces on the bed shelves, and all
running. Their ticking and striking, not at all simultaneous, was
enough to run a nervous European woman wild; but Her Majesty takes so
much outdoor exercise, she seemed to have no nerves. There were no
flowers in her bedroom, but the ante-chamber, leading into it, was
always full of flowers, pyramids of apples, and “Buddha’s hands.”[5]
The bed-alcove is separated from the room by satin curtains, suspended
from a handsomely embroidered valance, with two long embroidered bands
to loop them back.
[5] “Buddha’s hand,” a very fragrant fruit of the family of lemons,
which is shaped like a hand, with long, curving fingers. Pyramids of
this fruit are used for their perfume.
Her Majesty is a light and irregular sleeper. When she wakes and
finds it impossible to go to sleep again, she rises, is dressed, and
often goes for a walk in the grounds, at what we would call the most
unseasonable of hours. She says Nature is beautiful at every hour
of the twenty-four, with a different charm for each moment. As she
loves it in all its phases, she likes to see it at every hour of the
twenty-four, at least once a year! When she wakes and goes for a walk
at night, the eunuchs who are on duty in her Palace accompany her with
lanterns, but she never takes these night walks, except by moonlight,
and when the night is beautiful.
Whether she has slept well or ill, she rises at six o’clock; for the
morning is devoted to business, and she never misses an Audience. On
rising, she takes a bowl of hot milk, or lotus-root porridge; then
her maids and tiring-women begin her toilet for the Audience. This
is the “grande toilette” for the day, for full dress is worn by the
Chinese in the morning, and in the evening they wear simple gowns.
When her toilet is finished, the young Empress and Ladies, having
“assisted” (from without) at her “lever,” she comes out into the
Throne-room and receives their morning greeting. The Emperor then
comes to pay his respects to the Great Ancestress, and together they
go in State, accompanied by all the Ladies of the Court, to the Great
Audience Hall. The Ladies of the Court remain outside the Great Hall
until the Audience is finished, when they accompany Her Majesty to her
Throne-room. The business of the day is then over. Her Majesty lays
aside her robes of State and gives herself up to duties connected with
the Palace.
While I was painting the portraits, she would pose on returning from
the Audience; or, if the Audience had been too tiring, she would first
go for a walk. Then would begin her various self-imposed household
duties. She would overlook the baskets of flowers and fruits sent
into the Palace daily, select some to be sent as presents, and send
others to the eunuchs of the kitchen to be cooked. Then she would
look at new rolls of silk, just arrived from the Imperial looms, or
examine new articles of toilet, fresh from the workshops of the Palace
tailors. Sometimes she would play a game, of which she seemed very
fond, and of which I know no counterpart. It was played on a large
square board, covered with white silk and painted in fantastic designs,
representing the Earth and Fairyland. The object of the game was to get
an ivory chessman, representing “man,” into Fairyland. The length of
the move was decided by throwing dice. There was no box for throwing
the dice: they were taken in the hands and thrown into a jade bowl. The
numbers uppermost were then counted and the move made. She would play
this game with the Princesses; and sometimes two of the High Eunuchs,
who were proficient, would be called in to make out the number. The
game was played for money, but, if Her Majesty won, the others did
not pay. If, however, they won, she paid, and at once. She was ever a
cheerful giver. She had wonderful luck, and it was a rare occurrence
for the others to win. I only happened to see it three times. The
Princesses were always pleased to play this game, for they had a chance
of winning and they never lost. One day I saw her get quite angry with
one of the Ladies playing. This Lady could not bear to lose, and would
get sulky and cross if she did. This annoyed Her Majesty, until finally
she reproved her sharply. She asked her why she played a game if she
were not willing to take her chances as they came, and meet loss or
gain with equal equanimity.
[Illustration: PRINCESSES OF THE COURT]
The Empress Dowager only eats two solid meals a day--luncheon and
dinner. These were exactly similar. The dishes, so far as I could see,
were identical; but they were so numerous, and of such variety, one
could make a change of menu by eating different dishes. The hours of
these two meals were very irregular; in fact, Her Majesty had no fixed
hour for anything except rising and attendance at the Audience Hall.
“Early rice,” as the Chinese call luncheon, was served the Empress
Dowager at any time between half-past ten and half-past twelve. She was
likely to order it at any hour after she returned from the Audience.
“Late rice,” or dinner, was ordered with the same irregularity. She was
very fond of nuts and fruits, and ate them between meals, when she
drank tea, hot milk, and certain fruit juices.
The young Empress and Ladies of the Court were not bound to these
irregular hours. They ordered their meals in their own pavilions at
the hours they wished. Sometimes they had but just finished their own
meals, when the Empress Dowager would order hers, and, when she had
finished, invite them to eat at her table. Then it would be a matter of
etiquette to eat with, at least apparent, relish. At this meal at Her
Majesty’s table, her place remained vacant. When I was in the Palace
and we were invited to eat at her table, the Ladies sat; but when I was
not there, the Ladies stood to eat, if she were still in the building,
thus observing a very old convention. The Empress Dowager was very
rigid about the observance of all traditional customs, and a stickler
for Court etiquette, but she was also very considerate of the Ladies.
When she had eaten, she would leave her Throne-room, or would conceal
herself behind some screen, so that they might sit and eat in peace. I
have seen her return to the Throne-room while the Ladies were eating,
but she would do it stealthily, not allowing the eunuchs to precede
her, so that the Ladies might not be obliged to rise on her entrance.
When the Empress Dowager dined, she sat at the head of a long table
absolutely groaning under the many dishes placed thereon. Huge silver
platters stood on side tables with sucking-pig, steamed goose, whole
fowls, etc. Before serving the latter, they were brought to her to look
at, just as the butler, in Europe, shows the pheasant and set dishes to
the mistress of the house. Her dishes were of yellow porcelain, with
curiously chased silver covers of pyramidal shape and quaint design.
When she arose to go to the table, a eunuch standing near would shout,
“Remove the covers,” the word would be repeated along the line of
waiting eunuchs, who would spring forward and whip off the covers of
the many dishes on the table as if by magic. At Her Majesty’s place
were two spoons, a saucer and bowl, a pair of chop-sticks, and a small
folded square of soft cloth, corresponding to our napkin. When she
sat down, she attached to the front of her dress, by a quaint, golden
pin, a large silken napkin,--for she was immaculately neat and had a
horror of a spot on her clothes. She was an epicure and thoroughly
appreciated any new dish the Palace cooks sent forth, and, like all
epicures, she ate very slowly and seemed to enjoy her food. She never
drank wine or anything else at meals. I only saw her drink wine on two
occasions, when some new vintages had been received at the Palace,
and then it seemed more to judge of their merits, as a connoisseur,
than anything else. When she finished her meal and left the table, the
eunuchs brought hot cloths for her hands and a golden “rince-bouche.”
After this, one of the maids would bring her a silver basin, soap, and
towels, and she would indulge in an elaborate hand-washing.
After “Early rice” came the hour of her siesta. She would retire to her
bedroom, and her reader, bringing several volumes from which to choose,
would come to read to her. She would remain in her room for an hour and
a half, whether sleeping or being read to. When she awoke, she would
make another careful toilet, the Ladies would join her, and she would
go for a long walk before taking “Late rice.”
On the first and fifteenth of the month, the Imperial players were at
the Theater. On these days, the Emperor, instead of returning to his
own Palace, would accompany the Empress Dowager and the Ladies from the
Audience Hall to the Theater. The Imperial Hymn was played on Their
Majesties’ entrance into the court of the Theater, and when they had
entered the Imperial loge, the players would come in a body on the
stage and “kow-tow.” Then the actors, splendidly gowned, would make the
customary wishes for the Imperial Peace, Prosperity, Longevity, after
which there would be a posture-play in costume, and then the plays for
the day would begin. On Theater days Their Majesties would lunch and
dine together in the Imperial loge. They did not sit at the ends of
the great table, but at right angles to each other--the Emperor at the
head of the table, and the Empress Dowager at his left. His Majesty was
not much of an epicure. He ate fast, and apparently did not care what
it was. When he finished, he would stand up near Her Majesty, or walk
around the Throne-room until she had finished.
The Empress Dowager was very rigorous in the observance of all fasts,
as well as feasts, prescribed by the rites. On fast-days, no meat
nor fish was eaten at her table. The meals consisted entirely of
vegetables, bread, and rice; but there was always a great variety of
these dishes, and they were temptingly prepared. Meat dishes and fish
were always prepared for me when I was invited to eat at the Imperial
table on fast-days, until I learned that the Empress Dowager and the
Ladies were fasting, when I asked to eat only what was prepared for
them when I dined with them at Her Majesty’s table.
On Festivals and Theater days, Princesses of the Imperial Family, wives
of Manchu Nobles, and high Officials were invited to spend the day at
the Palace. Sometimes their children would accompany them, little girls
and boys under twelve. I never saw a boy over seventeen in the Palace;
and only once, one sixteen years old. This was a son of Prince Ching.
When these young people came to the Court, they observed the same
rules of etiquette as their elders, and behaved with great decorum.
Her Majesty is very fond of children, but very particular as to their
manners. When a little girl did not make a graceful bow, Her Majesty
would not correct her, but would ask the young Empress, an authority on
etiquette and very graceful, to bow. Her Majesty would then tell the
little girl to notice how the Empress bowed and try to do it in that
manner. The child, or her parents, generally followed this suggestion,
and the grace of the bow was improved on the next visit to Court!
On one occasion, a lady of high rank, married to a kinsman of the
Empress Dowager, was invited to the Palace with her family. She had
two little girls, and when the family went up to bow and repeat the
salutation to Her Majesty, the younger daughter, only five years old,
refused either to make the bow or repeat the salutation, but sat down
on the floor and cried! The Empress Dowager waited patiently for the
mother to correct the little girl, for she is very fond of children
and disposed to condone their faults. The little girl would not,
however, listen to reason and continued to show temper. Her Majesty
could not allow such a breach of the “Proprieties,” even in a child of
this age, and the high rank of the family of the little girl made it
the more imperative that she should conform to the rules of Propriety
and observe the etiquette of the Court. When Her Majesty saw that all
efforts at bringing her to reason were fruitless, she ordered the child
to be taken away. Whereupon the mother began crying, and begged her
not to be offended with the little girl. She replied, “Do you think
a person of superior intelligence could be offended with a baby? I
send you out of the Palace to teach you a lesson, which you must teach
your child. I do not blame her; I blame you and pity her; but she must
suffer as well as yourself. You must teach your child that ‘it is by
the rules of propriety that the character is established’ (Confucius)”;
and she was inexorable. The family left the Palace and was not invited
again for some time.