With the Empress Dowager of China · Chapter
XXI: A European Circus at the Palace explained
The Empress Dowager arranges for a European circus to perform at the Summer Palace.
What happens
The Empress Dowager arranges for a European circus to perform at the Summer Palace. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor, along with the court, travel by boat to the circus grounds. The performance is a novel experience for the Imperial party, with the Empress Dowager showing interest in the animals and the Emperor in the horses. The chapter also provides a glimpse of the Imperial Princes and officials, including a notably handsome young prince.
Themes in this chapter
East-West Encounter
The introduction of a European circus into the Imperial Palace highlights the cultural exchange and the Empress Dowager's selective acceptance of foreign novelties.
Observation and Interpretation
Carl, as an outsider, observes the reactions of the Imperial family and the court, interpreting their behaviors and the significance of the event.
Characters to notice
- Empress Dowager Tze-Hsi
Arranges for the circus, pulls the first turnip, shows interest in the animals, and displays antipathy to feline creatures.
- Katherine A. Carl
The narrator, delighted at the prospect of a European circus, observes the Empress Dowager's reactions and the young princes.
- Emperor Kwang-Hsu
Attends the circus, shows interest in horses and fancy riding, and uses opera glasses to screen himself from view.
- Sir Robert Hart
His band of Chinese musicians playing European music performs at the circus.
- Prince Ch'un
Mentioned as one of the Princes present at the circus.
- Prince Ching
Mentioned as one of the Princes present at the circus.
Key passages
“It was a strange sight to see the Great Empress Dowager, sitting there at the side of the field, on her yellow campstool, smiling and interested, with the turnips piled around her, and the gaily dressed Empress and Princesses in their silken gowns flitting in and out of the field, apparently enjoying, to its utmost, the simple task of pulling these prosaic vegetables.”
The Empress Dowager, seated on her yellow stool, smiled as she watched the Empress and Princesses in their silk gowns happily pulling turnips, a simple activity that seemed to delight them all.
Highlights the contrast between the grandeur of the court and the simple, human pleasure of the turnip-pulling activity.
“The Emperor, disliking to be looked at, held his own glasses before his face most of the time. It seemed to me he used them principally for the purpose of screening himself.”
The Emperor kept his opera glasses up to his face throughout the performance, not so much to see better but to avoid being observed by others.
Reveals the Emperor's shyness and discomfort with public attention.