Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-09
CHINA'S EMPRESS,
Story of Her First Meeting With Lii
Hung Chang.
From the New York Hnrah

ShAnS.
From the New York Herald
kuan Foy, scholarly Chinese merchant
and one of the most prominent members OF
his race in this city, yesterday told the his
tory of the romantic rise of the empress
dowager from the lot of a slave girl, and of
her first meeting with Ii Hung Chang while
he was poor sailor lad on a river boat and
she was on her way in bondage to the i'm
perial city in which she rose to supreme
power
Now, the resident manager of Yu Lung &
Co, large importing firm, Kuan Foy, in
MS native land of mystery and millions,
MS own words his story of the empress and
the statesman is here repeated:
Iuen, the Dowager Empress of China,
was once a slave Her story is strange,
ana one of the most remarkable features Of
IL Is that Ii Hung Chang. China's greatest
man, was at the same time a rough ignor-
ant sailor lad, earning a living on one of
the boats Of the HuniHo, and that to the
slave girl fell the chance Of rewarding him
for very brave deed. Strange, indeed,
that these two met by chance while both
were in obscurity should rise to play two
such different and important parts in what
promises to be the last scene of the drama
OF the Chinese empire, or at least Of the
Manchurian dynasty. The events of the
end.
'Tuen. being girl child of Manchurian
lOw-grade official, suffered the contumely of
Chinese females. However. her feet were
not bound, and to this fact, a seemingly
minor circumstance, the great things in
Chinese history for the last fifty years are
due If her feet had been bound she would
never have risen from slavery to the rule of
the empire.
"A rebellion in her fathers Yamen dis
tr1ct rendered her family destitute and
though but eleven years of age, she petit
toned her father TO sell her as a slave. so
hn cd, tad ,,I
her mother fed. Her father consented and
sold her to the then viceroy of his district
and little Tuen passed away from her fam
lily, never to know them again until years
later her agents sought out her brother and
she took him to live inside the imperial
city, though she could not take him within
the purple forbidden city. He was made a
Manchurian prince and received great es-
tates.
Soon after she was taken into the vice.
roy's household she heard her master men
ton an elaborate tunic he had seen at
court. She listened to his description of its
elaborate embroidery, and twelve months
later her child'S hands had finished one
which was duplicate by description The
Ficeroy was astounded and asked her to
name any wish she had and it should be
granted
She hesitated. and then, kneelng at his
feet. begged to be taught to read. He told
her that it was impossible for girl to learn
to read. She said it was not her fault that
she had been born girl. and that the gods
mad been cruel to her. The viceroy was so
he sent for Yoas,ars -, 49, 1iiI'
and 10 his astonishrart 'ha ri','1 ne,
-, A.. - 80 , nm, t'eS i"ui'd Sie al
taught she nastcrnd NJ, Hra,,,s, 7ei'
Chinese and there are some w,bn ss,, ~
in the last ten Years she has adj E.
fish secretly, i''s
The yiceroy was very, nror5 of b;s o,o,.,.,
little slave. and as she was deveIoning INTO
a comedy damsel. he sent her as compli-
mentarv gift to the emnnrnr Sbn ban.,,,,o
the favorite slave of the father of the nrns-
ent emperor and when his motber Tho i'm,