Two Years in the Forbidden City

Two Years in the Forbidden City is a personal memoir of Princess Der Ling, a Hanjun bannerwoman, the daughter of Yu Keng. Her father was a member of the Hanjun Plain White Banner Corps, and according to his daughter he was a Lord.

Author's preface from the book:

THE author of the following narrative has peculiar qualifications for her task. She is a daughter of Lord Yu Keng, a member of the Manchu White Banner Corps, and one of the most advanced and progressive Chinese officials of his generation. she became First Lady-in-Waiting to the Empress Dowager, and while serving at the Court in that capacity she received the impressions which provide the subject-matter of this book. Her opportunity to observe and estimate the characteristics of the remarkable woman who ruled China for so long was unique, and her narrative throws a new light on one of the most extraordinary personalities of modern times.