ABSTRACT
One day a big luncheon was given at the British Legation to the Princesses of the Imperial Court. As it is not etiquette for men to see them, it was an exclusively "ladies' day." The feast took place in the Legation dining-room, in the very room where not two years before during the siege a roundshot piercing the wall of the room struck the frame of Queen Victoria's portrait, finding its way out through the opposite wall. Amongst the guests was the Princess Imperial, a daughter of the late Prince Kung, who was a younger brother of the Emperor Hsien-feng, and for many years the chief minister for foreign affairs in China. As an infant the Princess Imperial was adopted by Hsien-feng, and given the title of Kulun Kungchu, or Princess Imperial of the first rank. The Princesses were as playful as kittens. They were all under twenty-five except the Princess Imperial.
