Is your English better than that of this Qing dynasty ‘princess’?

A video showing “Princess” Der Ling from the Qing dynasty making a speech in fluent English went viral on the Chinese internet.

[@FallenAngel7538]

She literally was a translator, if she can't speak proper english, no one else can

[@Discordia5]

Tell that to Japanese English language teachers.

[@defaultsens1376]

@@Discordia5 this is a pen.

[@Alfonso-es6ze]

@@Discordia5 Being an English teacher is not the same as being a translator. I think the main problem with English in Japan is that the education system is too centered in the writing and grammar, but not at all in speaking and pronunciation. It seems like as long as you can read English, you're okay (at least thats my perception, I'm not Japanese tho)

[@Alfonso-es6ze]

@@detriadh I didn't know that, but Japanese people that are raised abroad speak the lenguage fluently, so I don't really know if genetics would be the explanation. I dindt mean to be offensive tho, that's just the perception I had made trough internet, so don't take me too serious.

[@aprilbennett4161]

​@@Alfonso-es6ze The so-called "Japanese have short tongues" thing is allusive when you actually try and look it up. Either DeTriadh is pulling your leg, or the guy believes in an odd misconception.

[@lorenzobianchi1896]

"...then she moved to California" immediately shows a kid holding a gun

[@og824]

Lorenzo Bianchi. I only scrolled thru the comments to find the first person that mentioned that. :)

[@qwert314oderwat]

@@og824 hahaha i didnt

[@didierradio]

I have a huge problem with your comment: only 61 likes yet :DDDD

[@junlizhu2312]

I'm dead

[@robertcorbell1006]

Before the dark times, before the rise of political correctness...

[@zucc4764]

"She studied French, English, and dance." Ah yes, the three diplomatic languages

[@nachostar]

Well I guess you could say dance is a part of *body language*

[@rajninaik4154]

Yeah she used to play basketball, baseball and piano

[@JatinS-yt]

@@nachostar no man you surely don't know it ain't just a body language

[@MihailFromRomania]

Ah yes, shut up.

[@arrowpictures2844]

Im a native dance speaker, just learning english.

[@GabrielLites]

I like how the recording has better sound quality than most of our school teacher’s microphones during Zoom classes a while ago

[@Lipanj92]

This wasn't going online. Any prerecorded sound will be better than those in live recording.

[@LEELOLKH]

No surprise. Royal family do need to learn multi language.

[@jiaotang3117]

We say people who can speak two different languages called bilingual and who can speak three languages called trilingual. People who speak only one language called AMERICAN 🤣🤣 Just kidding ☺️

[@AmidaNyorai48]

😯😯😯

[@moon-cf2vw]

@@Oussama-sabouh actually people had much better accents back in the day compared to now.

[@user-sg6cp2zg3t]

Actually, princess derling isn’t royal, and she’s also half white. Empress dowager cixi just granted her the title of princess

[@ganikus8565]

It has nothing to do with being a " royal" family.

[@nuzayerov]

No doubt she used Duolingo to learn English.

[@rjsjjvj613]

😂

[@anweshadas8553]

Lol

[@nutshell7648]

Literally stop making this joke, disrespecting the queen.

[@TyeArtisik]

.

[@mma_chainsaw101]

Oh okey .. so now I get it.. how Khabib has improved his English so much

[@yugioht42]

Actually I can hear the slight hint of the Chinese accent in her that just doesn’t go away no matter how hard you try. It’s present in those who learned English later in life. It’s extremely subtle but because the Chinese language tends not to linger on the S sound very much so a small gap appears with the tongue and lips letting air escape slightly fast than normal. It’s super subtle and you know it’s there when you are Chinese yourself but learned English very early in life and the accent never appears. Most Chinese tend to double syllables or do stop-starts when speaking English as it’s so foreign to them. It’s just something you notice only if you hang around Chinese for a long time as you hear a slight difference. This accent is a trademark of Chinese who learned English beyond age 10. I myself did not get that accent but I did gain a slight piney woods accent being in the south so long you sorta pick it up despite you not actively trying.

[@TheYopogo]

I am English and I can hear it. It is very subtle though, you're right. Certainly she is far closer to standard English than many regional accents within England are.

[@thatguhl]

I’m American and I can clearly hear her accent. It’s subtle, yes, but any native speaker will hear it none the less.

[@itsa-mea-marion7653]

Personally my English was fluent by 13, but I still have my own hints of an accent, probably similarly to her.

[@Someone-ig7we]

as a native speaker who doesn't speak chinese, her accent is VERY noticeable. it's not subtle whatsoever.

[@connaeris8230]

You mean the "s" or the "sh" sound? I'm not a native English or Chinese speaker, but I've studied Chinese and I know it doesn't have the "sh" and "j" sound many European languages have. So I would assume those are the ones a Chinese person would find difficult to replicate?

[@silencia08]

"During that time, she studied French, English, and dance." Princess Der Ling was so bright being fluent in French, English and Interpretive dance 👯

[@shizukagozen777]

That's the only things she had to learn in her life so that's pretty easy...

[@cannabico6621]

@@shizukagozen777 people have this funny idea that monarch just have to sit idle and do nothing while the kingdom runs itself, funny.

[@shizukagozen777]

@@cannabico6621 Which is not my case but thank you for assuming. Plus she's not a king nor a queen so what's even the point of your comment...

[@aerolchristopherinfante]

"During that time, she studied French, English, and dance." The question is, is she fluent in dance?

[@culturecoroner]

I actually lol’d. 😂

[@theasianpianoboy6750]

What country speaks Dance?

[@bazzxliner]

@@theasianpianoboy6750 Danish...??

[@randomkitty2555]

Watch her start poppin and lockin the moment she hears you say that. lol

[@yurirojales309]

She can speak ballroom

[@danaprendick7883]

So, a woman who spent her time translating English, and married an English speaking person, after many years of private English lessons... speaks English well? Yes?

[@ElladanKenet]

Sounds about right.

[@Guadalajara1937]

also her maternal grandpa was american

[@ANthOdAV58]

Yes, but cases like this are not common

[@willbe3043]

@@ANthOdAV58 yeah because not everyone is rich

[@danaprendick7883]

@@ANthOdAV58 "Cases"? It's a monarch with access to education, not an anthopological study

[@technocrat711]

I personally know a Chinese diplomat grandson born in Moscow, attended La Sorbonne. Speaks 6 foreign languages fluently and almost flawless.

[@mariolis]

Lucky she moved to the US Staying in China during what came next would have been VERY dangerous if you were a Qing Official

[@tung-hsinliu861]

I was thinking the same thing lol, good for her. Her ability of fluent English probably literally saved her life.

[@Anonymous-qb4vc]

What happened

[@tung-hsinliu861]

@@Anonymous-qb4vc China is in constant chaos after the fall of the Qing dynasty. First being warlords fighting each other, then there's the Japanese invasion and WW2, and then there's the civil war between the KMT and the CCP. After the CCP took over China, there's the great famine that killed 50 million people, and then there's the Cultural Revolution that killed millions of landlords, rich people, and intellectuals.

[@bigguy9579]

@@Anonymous-qb4vc communism

[@txgunguy2766]

@@bigguy9579 Along with who knows how many purges which killed millions.

[@jimxcy]

She sounds like queen Elizabeth II doing the Christmas speech lol.

[@communismwithgiggles2515]

I do still hear a bit of the Chinese accent

[@senko-san313]

Nani ?

[@thelocation6063]

I'm more impressed by the fact she sounded like Queen Elizabeth than the fact she spoke English

[@TheABS2820]

Queen Elizabeth used to give Christmas presents to my grandmom. And my grandmom used to call her mum!

[@kaxikake6969]

yeah， a bit😂 because of the the same quality device i guess？

[@joshouaroonshin9649]

The most surprised was how 1930 recording and sound still be remained that crystal clear till you can appreciate her accents.

[@primecoconut4204]

Recording private tapes like this in the 1930s, requires to be in a secluded location away from noise and closed doors plus there were no sound proof walls until the second WW. That's what I can speculate so far

[@yooniebabyuwu2912]

I'm your 999 like💕

[@spoiledeggnog]

i just had a stroke reading that

[@aarondominguez3501]

No. It's surprising how there was such thing as camera/ video recorder in Qing dynasty.

[@spoiledeggnog]

Aaron Dominguez why? the qing dynasty collapsed in 1911 and cameras were invented in the mid 1800s

[@wiktoriagwozdowska5484]

Ah i just love watching and seeing videos / pictures of the past and the people who lived back then for some reason i feel strong connection with all those past times it brings tears to my eyes and feel like i just could travel there in a second 🧐😊

[@spaceowel363]

this was still at a time when "educated" meant learning an instrument, many languages, dances and many other things

[@spzer2557]

That definition has never changed

[@orangiat3619]

That definition has not changed

[@Vulpix298]

@Yeshua Is Lord it's ok babe you can admit the world scares and confuses you, and your small brain isn't able to catch up

[@kdjoshi726]

@@spzer2557 It did in my country.... tbh it was never the same defination here... your parents would ignore all of your subjects here & would mostly focus on just sciences & maths related subjects.

[@IGUniverse]

Still does, most of Chinese childrens learn instruments even at school, they appreciate art not like our schools

[@Jonathan-fu9iy]

Claim your"i got this recommended in 2020"ticket.

[@joshhouse6857]

This reply certifies you got this any year after 2020.

[@johnpaulbruh7909]

Aight bruv

[@udontknowme7908]

*September* anyone?

[@ScreamingMysta]

Claims*

[@6Euphoria6]

me

[@CaptainObviousyearsago]

We will meet again when this gets recommended after 10 years.

[@bajlozi6873]

See you in a long time comrades

[@osamabinladen824]

Yup

[@osamabinladen824]

@@bajlozi6873 See you too

[@busharmann]

Osama Bin Laden Hold on..

[@parism9302]

soon....

[@stevenbaer5999]

Wow she's actually very extremely amazing woman and she spoke English very well. She was actually a translator for Empress Dowager Cixi.

[@lizipearlvlogs]

She's not a princess...she's a 💖queen!💖 Her message is so pure. I'm not surprised about her English speaking skills, because language acquisition is possible for all people. But I love how she's an advocate for peace during such a tumultuous time in history.

[@russell7852]

Notice how she has a British accent. She had a british teacher who did a great job.

[@vlogdemon]

Russell British English was also the standard form for foreign learners back then. In fact, it was only in the 70s - 90s that British English was phased out in China for American English

[@likkerland]

What do you expect? Great Britain controlled so many territories including 20th century China that when english was taught the accent was picked up as a result. It's kinda of like when an young infant learns their native language from their parents.

[@timowthie]

Yes but she's could have practices for days to memorise it and get the pronunciation right

[@gladiator_zyx]

Yeah I'm Chinese and people mistake me for being British because of my tongue.

[@genghisron9876]

It is a Mid Atlantic accent..

[@Ayufanboy01]

And here I thought that my English is above average. Now I see how much I was wrong 😂

[@bendover2684]

So what she got private education

[@notricky1680]

I believe it's "Now I see just how wrong I was"

[@Ayufanboy01]

@@notricky1680 And I also thought that I have a sense of humour... Oh,the cruelty

[@_____snake]

Ben Dover sure but some students aren’t willing to learn

[@ChrisRockJr1]

@@_____snake still,she had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more advantage over us students.

[@ImAlrightITHINK]

Amazing. Simply amazing. Talk about the most intriguing 20 seconds of my life out of a 60 second video. Truly remarkable. Incredible. The epitome of the internets greatest achievements.

[@orangiat3619]

you make no sense

[@aspitube2515]

"You know what we are looking at here?" "we're looking at Padme Amidala"

[@camren2721]

She kinda sounds like the queen of England on the show the crown

[@Orange1117]

She was probably taught by the queen herself xD

[@therineplum2641]

I thought that too!!

[@LoveAndPeace2004]

cant believe, that ppl still use that pfp

[@kamanashiskar9203]

Well, she died in 1944.

[@Glassandcandy]

"on the show the crown" kinda concerning if that's your only frame or reference for British Monarchy or british accents in general, ngl.

[@Sy2023hk]

She did online courses at school of Buckingham palace

[@chickletsushi2761]

This cracked me up xD

[@redDL89]

She downloaded Duolingo on her smartphone.

[@emrafighifari2675]

*skillshare, duolingo, and brilliant

[@redDL89]

@@emrafighifari2675 Grammarly also.

[@jameswalkerz3587]

She studied from piracy premium courses.

[@you_beg_my_pardon]

She's a good impressionist! Probably the best of her day...

[@halcyon3773]

I laughed when the red circle appeared. Humor does change your life.

[@pensatoreseneca]

There’s no reason. To be surprised.. she was not an ordinary person. She was an upper class diplomat member , lived in different countries since she was a child in a wealthy high class environment m, thus obviously high educated. That has never changed , people in her situation even have always spoken several languages and excelled at other subjects . A whole different thing would have been if they had casted an ordinary Chinese person .

[@anshi5098]

I KNOW RIGHT. It may seem suprising to some fools but in the past, the wealthy had a good reach over different languages and cultures because of their travel and resources. It was obviously a priviledge to have such wisdom in the past but its not a big deal now. An odinary person speaking english in a non english nation wouldve been a miracle but everyone can speak english now.

[@icequeenhr7523]

That's absolutely true.

[@imapleb4956]

Anshika Dixit If a person learns a language between the ages of 5-13 they can learn to speak completely without an accent of their first language. (English realistically is one of the better languages and is the easiest to learn in the western world besides spanish)

[@celiaaviana8076]

Not to mention marrying an American and moved to US

[@anshi5098]

@@imapleb4956 In that sense, you're right. Something thats gonna link people together worldwide should be easy to learn.

[@mirisoji8406]

"Peace on Earth and goodwill towards man can only be accomplished by mutual respect and understanding of one nation towards another" - Princess Der Ling

[@PHlophe]

Millie, pois é !

[@nekofreaks]

Xi Jin Ping : haha, no.

[@widiarti8152]

Periodt

[@MrShnazer]

Those words are just fairy dust.

[@TaihouLoyalist]

America, China, Russia and the Middle East: lol no

[@Lynn-pw9nw]

What an elegant lady. She spoke it so beautifully!

[@shuhaothomasyu2290]

why is this audio more clear than any English listening test I've encountered throughout my life lol

[@alicea5]

I think many people forgot. She is a “princess.” She has the best of all-the best teachers, one to one tutor, luxury, time, and the hovering status as the princess to express many talents. The Chinese royal family is a complicated group. The more talent you have and the ability to express them the more valuable you are to the emperor and the royal family; and outsiders will have a better view of you.

[@suprememasteroftheuniverse]

*Manchu imperial family

[@alexl.-a.1125]

She was not a princess. She was simply a lady-in-waiting for Dowager Empress Cixi. Even if it was a notable position she was no way close to be a royal, but as she went to a new life and due to the limited news and information people could get on the other side of the world about China, for her it was too easy to create the big lie that the Dowager Empress granted her the title.

[@loop5720]

@@alexl.-a.1125 oooooooooooh oh.

[@alicea5]

@@alexl.-a.1125 oh. That’s new information. Thanks for the info.

[@hatinmyselfiscool2879]

Apparently many people also don‘t notice the fact that she reads of a board with probably complex words. I won‘t say that she doesn’t know what half of them mean but just take that as you will.

[@jay9220]

Let's see if someone from Buckingham palace could speak fluent mandarin..

[@bananaborz1]

They have such people you know.

[@moreandmore4378]

@@bilqisconway But he is not from Buckingham Palace

[@peenids_]

Lotsa people learn mandarin for business purposes!

[@nayadabdallah9917]

I heard that every member of the royal family has to speak a foreign language.

[@jfrd-pw4hk]

Won't be surprised if there are.

[@Stubrok]

That last image with lil man and his pistola was priceless

[@susieangelo6410]

Kudos! Studying, Hard Work and Never Giving Up Yields Success, Respect and Rewards.

[@chuemong]

i wonder how many people can say oh yeah “Princess” Der Ling was my great great great grandmother

[@Edible_Kittens]

anthony c_____ Yeah wtf were they even saying

[@iliketrains186]

@Aziz Mahdavi who the heck is 'cixi'-

[@JM-gc4sh]

@@iliketrains186 cixi was the empress dowager who controlled or ruled china effectively for 47 years from 1861 till her death in 1908.

[@MaSsiVeGaming1]

She was my great, great, great, great, great step grandmother four times removed.

[@CaptainBones222]

So what you're saying is she belonged in the streets

[@ForHisGlory0110]

so no one's gonna talk about the kid pointing a gun at her head at the last picture?

[@woozie7034]

LOOOOOL wtf

[@riegelmaster-privat5865]

Last Picture.

[@Samsaknight]

It was the kid tho

[@fishy2850]

Omg the pic popped up while I was reading this XD

[@Darkswordz]

omg... I didn't even notice that at first.

[@ARROW771]

Resurfaced the algorithm in 2022. Sounds like the queen

[@oreo9052]

What a legend. God bless her.

[@darijawa6886]

She's "Princess". It explains everything. No surprise.

[@alexl.-a.1125]

She wasn't even related to the royal family.

[@fillername236]

@@alexl.-a.1125 Yet she's still got the princess treatment

[@alexl.-a.1125]

@@fillername236 she didn't not even in the Qing court nor in the USA, she didn't received any attention from the US government. She lived a normal life after two years serving in the Forbidden City.

[@AmidaNyorai48]

😯😯

[@kengorion8190]

Not all Princess Has to be Fluent in English. It's Crazy how high You're Expectations Are.

[@alextyy]

High level noble woman yet not really a princess... and she was wearing a Chinese opera costume 😂🤣😂

[@christofat2704]

Just a way to attract viewers

[@MeiinUK]

I think the term is "consorts". She was one of these tribe's/race women, that could allowed to be a consort. Other tribe, like Hans, women, were not... I think.

[@CondemnedandEnslaved]

wrong

[@sophieplumbob2900]

Click bait. Most people only know what a princess is.

[@LordDim1]

She was not a member of the Qing imperial family no, however whilst serving Empress Dowager Cixi she was given the title Princess as a courtesy. So she was a Princess, but more of an honorary princess rather than a princess of the blood

[@theowl2044]

Still better video and audio than 2022 CCTV security cameras

[@elizabetholiveirabr]

She speaks English better than me in 2022😅🤣👌

[@chenyl0525]

She is not a member of the Qing royal family. Her Father Yü Keng was actually a Han Chinese Bannerman (there were eight banners, represented by different colours. These banners were military divisions with both Han and Manchu in it) .. She received her education abroad and when she returned back, she became First Lady in waiting in short a court lady to the Empress.

[@wijse]

And Mongols. The banners were split into Manchu, Mongols and Han-Chinese banners.

[@MeiinUK]

@@wijse : What is a "bannerman" ???

[@wijse]

@@MeiinUK Look up the Eight Banners of the Manchu army on wikipedia

[@wijse]

@wksoh The Qing had Han Chinese Elite banners under the eight banner system. But yes the Green Standard Army was Han chinese.

[@neurotica5461]

@@MeiinUK its members of the eight banner army the army was split into 8 banners with each banner having a different job iirc

[@magdafuenza]

this proves that education is the most essential thing. In addition, we should highlight the fact that her family had a very good economic situation, which helped her to achieve all that.

[@boltez6507]

learning english isn't education....it just learning a new way of communicating

[@gyukk4834]

learning a new way of communication isn't educational?

[@boltez6507]

@@gyukk4834 nah education is not learning a new language...i mean its helpful....but definitely not educational....

[@smartpmark]

@@boltez6507 lol!!! 🤣🤣 "education is not learning a new language". Brother you have a very narrow definition of education.

[@punitjain1653]

@@boltez6507 agree

[@Tod_x]

this sounds much better than listening test sound filled with bass and treble

[@bobbyvalverde3863]

B4 i read the description, i seriously thought it was Mike Myers.

[@eliseintheattic9697]

Why does she sound like Queen Elizabeth?

[@tombarac8253]

Yes yes yes

[@freechinastopuighurgenocid8716]

LIZARDZZZ!!!!!!!

[@eliseintheattic9697]

@Heschewingonit Well that explains it.

[@preciousbao1082]

Because she was a free Chinese women!

[@sophiasummer7339]

Elise in the Attic so true! Maybe it’s an audio

[@Discontinuedalready7372]

_She sounds like a British princess_

[@lmabodasadfaf9756]

exacltyyyy

[@Discontinuedalready7372]

@@lmabodasadfaf9756 _Yup_

[@Corgipon]

She sounds like the Queen herself!

[@ZZZ-qy8wj]

That's really good English for the time. There wasn't any technology back then to make it easy to learn a different language. Also it looks like she's reading. Might be in English could be in her language but that would delay the translation and she's talking fast in English. Usually people delay while translating what they've read.

[@silva7493]

What a beautiful costume.

[@jennyng7954]

I lowkey relieved knowing that she had escaped the Qing and the war and revolution (Indeed, look at Puyi you'll see what I mean) that came after, living a peaceful life with her family afar. Not many people at her time could have the opportunity, especially a high educated female scholar like her. It was all about timing.

[@haroldzee2978]

Actually her young son died of pneumonia and her husband left her for another woman. She later died in a car accident.

[@jennyng7954]

@@haroldzee2978 Aren't we all fortune's fool

[@e.jenima7263]

what happened to puyi was bad but did you hear of what happend to his wife the last emporess? that was even worse.

[@lux_iao]

Mm yeah the revolution wasn’t fun. Dhfhfjbf last time I said this another chinese dude started calling me a traitor 😭😭😭 bruh what do you want me to say? it was puppies and rainbows or what 🗿

[@lux_iao]

@@elliotbroadhurst7142 y e a h 😭😭😭

[@brainey001]

It's so sad when people are shocked that others speak more than 1 language... Just because they don't teach anything in north american schools doesn't mean it's the same everywhere...

[@scorpiuscosplays7972]

Underrated knowledge you've spoken. XD.

[@_s444my]

literally, this is underrated

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

It's the fact a Chinese noblewoman from 1930 could speak such fluent English - not the fact a 'foreign' person could speak it itself

[@scorpiuscosplays7972]

@@wheresmyeyebrow1608 Well to be honest, the higher classed people always knew more than two languages in almost every country in the world so it's not that much of a surprise really.

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

@@scorpiuscosplays7972 I guess Still pretty great footage though Not to mention, the Qing are stereotypically isolationist

[@mysterychickens119]

This is really interesting!

[@gengarzilla1685]

Oh wow, she even has that accent. Those must be some very good tutors.

[@theanonymousmrgrape5911]

It amazes me that though she’s not a native speaker, you can still tell she was living in the early 20th century from her pronunciation and inflection alone.

[@arukadou6308]

It had some details from that of a Mid-Transatlantic accent (which I think is due to her studying in Britain) nonetheless, her English is better than most Chinese people now (which isn't a bad thing per se, but its crazy to think that this type of fluency existed back then!)

[@Xaiff]

Well, from watching through the video, it was said that she married a US diplomat and the video was taken when she was at her 40s. So I guess she had enough time & exposure to get that accent.

[@SergeH09]

Because she study hard! Not like the lazy people of this days 😤😤😤

[@magniwalterbutnotwaltermag1479]

@@SergeH09 because she grew up in the royal family that at the time was still under british influence ever since the 2 opium wars, nobody is lazy for not learning a language they don't need too, she literally needs to speak multiple languages because she's part of world politics. It's like bieng impressed when a soldier shoots 3 pin point targets and bieng dissapointed when a gamer who doesn't need to shoot a gun can't do it aswell.

[@jaceyjacobs4013]

SergeH09 how many languages do you speak?

[@fejeliasfaulan3325]

she speaks like a young queen elizabeth

[@cooliipie]

Old English

[@santajayclause1768]

Or the tour guide we had at the harry potter exhibition

[@captainl-ron4068]

Xitler 维尼大帝 Old English/Anglo-Saxon is totally different to Modern English, it reads more like Flemish, Frisian or even German than it does modern English. It is basically 'spicy dutch'

[@lmabodasadfaf9756]

exacltyyyy

[@jellybeanbear7017]

My mind was blown !!!

[@justme8108]

How wonderful.

[@710MaryJane]

Fantastic, she speaks the “Kings English.” Beautiful English! She also spoke French. A very intelligent woman! She died young, at the age of 58.

[@markculshaw224]

Her accent in english is slightly northern as if a well spoken "northerner" taught her. She sounds like my old aunt from Southport!!!

[@coffee7226]

actually, back in the day, being able to live until 58 was very impressive, its like living to 80 rn

[@WellBehavedForeigner]

American English sounds like French with differently scattered full stops

[@ComradeHellas]

@@coffee7226 Very impressive I wouldn't say, but she was definitely not young.

[@lovoire2503]

Well at that time life expectancy was around 30s to 40s so she wasn't that young if you consider that

[@SuccessforLifester]

Luckily she left for US and avoided the invading Japanese.

[@captain-chair]

Sean She most likely would have been protected, by the Former Qing Emperor who was a puppet of the Japanese, he was only a toddler when becoming Emperor and is most likely why the Last Chinese Empire collapsed.

[@oggyoliver3651]

@@captain-chair fucking lame shit nigga

[@johncleland6726]

Captain Chair it was gonna collapse soon puyi becoming emperor sped that up by a decade

[@productreviewmy]

@muhammad wafri they supported because if japan take control japan didn't want to control and seeing revolt of lots of population the easiest way is the japanese see the emperor a tool to stabilize the region if they conquer and make the emeperor a puppet to the japanese

[@commitsoof9261]

明里伊藤 is that seele?

[@FaranNawazNawaz]

Chinese tradition calming focus.... Wow

[@_Kyprioth_]

She was educated incredibly well due to the station in life she was born into. Of course she spoke English well! She had the best teachers in English and French from a very young age and lived in France as a child. If a European Princess from that era had her high level of command over a foreign language, I strongly doubt that anyone would be surprised by it as they are by hers.

[@Iktius]

She did a lot of Duolingo

[@seligfykspert9387]

Along with Grammarly and Anki.

[@Ssseldaful]

Probably had that Rosetta Stone subscription for life with all languages.

[@skyclintliquit7814]

She sounds like 30s Queen Elizabeth II

[@nicoleraheem1195]

Lol 😂 more like a white chick in the 30s

[@amcglockton2]

Viking Song Your reply literally made me “lol”, people are special.

[@crazyfishmonster459]

Because all English was taught in Received Pronunciation, an accent specifically renowned for clarity and ease of understanding.

[@lmabodasadfaf9756]

exacltyyyy

[@HTao123]

"Super knuckle kanuckle bill buckle banana truffle headass"

[@lilyflower5576]

She's so pretty and giving us a message of peacd

[@edison7300037]

well she's a princess, i would be more impressed if a working class young man in shanghai speaking english fluently through self-taught in early 20th century.

[@lehonyy2428]

ikr!!!

[@wagamamaShoujo]

Well, imagine. No text books, no podcasts, exactly nothing we have that would help her to lern, except some teachers and spending time with natives

[@edison7300037]

@@wagamamaShoujo no need to imagine, i also grew up without text books nor podcast, my english teacher only taught me 1 hour a week from the tribe school and he couldn't even speak my language because we only speak dialect, he was there only because he was a missionary, hence i do understand the situation without any teaching recourses. while this noble lady, who was born 100 years ago, most likely had a private teacher that stayed at her side for years, had a textbook written specifically by her own teacher, and most likely got an oxford dictionary as a birthday gift....sure, i wouldn't doubt that she must had had her own difficulties learning such exotic language in the 1900s, but to most people living in poverty, it's still considered as a luxury, even in today's standards.

[@ThatCamel104]

@@wagamamaShoujo I mean, she probably *had* textbooks. It's not like books weren't around in the 1930s...

[@yixie6830]

such people probably existed. Since there were many foreigners in Shanghai at that time. They just didn't get filmed like the princess

[@bocahpetualang89]

0:52 her child pointing a gun at her mom xD

[@gnumblinjones69]

Yes it is, thanks for asking

[@Blackgoldart1]

An interesting life Miss Der Ling had! And she spoke truthful things.

[@f1r3hunt3rz5]

Damn that's fluent and eloquent, even more than the English speakers I've encountered

[@UNKNOWN-dx7iy]

I was stupendously excoriated for contriving involuted English phraseology. Multitudinous people aren't enormously eligible to decipher my perplexing English. I'll endeavor to facilitate my English adequacy to instantaneously asseverate my speculation.

[@f1r3hunt3rz5]

@@UNKNOWN-dx7iy Um.... Photosynthesis

[@ShakespeareChan]

@@UNKNOWN-dx7iy So, basically, you were isolated due to your choice of vernacular and diction, and so now you strive to become more acceptable amongst society by speaking like commoners.

[@chiragsharma5594]

@@UNKNOWN-dx7iy its tough

[@ComradeHellas]

@@UNKNOWN-dx7iy love it

[@superwhatever4075]

Shes not gonna let the trade federation mess about with naboo

[@xxkanezxx6903]

LOL brah.....you killed me

[@allium2718]

I'll watch her career with great interest.

[@werethepeople9430]

LOL

[@Sofvia4]

Lmaoo this comment wins 🤣🤣

[@matthewduthie9015]

superwhatever we should never have made this bargain

[@Dai_Abdurrahman]

Yeah yeah chillin' in hong kong drinking some tea huh^^learning English lol

[@sazzaxeight3124]

She sounds exactly like the queen it's amazing

[@AWlpsSHOW36]

Wow. This is freaking amazing! As a native English speaker I can confidently say that her English is absolutely spot on. She almost had a British accent! Hahahahaha! Really fascinating piece of historic archives!

[@Nyle1337]

"Oh my gawd her English is so good" Focus on her message instead. ✌️

[@Amygondor]

Plus she's royalty; of course she had time and energy to learn foreign languages. Show me a qing dynasty's peasant speaking good english and THEN I'll be amazed.

[@sarahella411]

@@Amygondor ok but she speaks better english than you though

[@baule4475]

@@sarahella411 how? i don't see any flaw in amygonders english

[@illusionsofgrand3ur]

I can't, she's speaking a foreign language.

[@Niko69420]

@@sarahella411 Her English is perfectly fine, so your comment is quite ironic as you didn’t use didn’t use any punctuation.

[@chibiyusa7249]

There’s a backstory of her in a series called The Last Healer In The Forbidden City, a Hong Kong drama. Highly recommended.

[@sandspar]

After moving to CA, she studied the art of distillation from Granny and became quite fluent in Holler Speak, excelled in playing Opossum, and gave Jethro a run for his money in Snipe hunting.

[@RayMak]

That's so amazing

[@kannatheweeb8836]

It is

[@snehagurung9357]

Why am I seeing you everywhere 😂😂

[@kannatheweeb8836]

@@snehagurung9357 no idea

[@snehagurung9357]

Rushtam 90 👈😏👈

[@mysticcocoa8886]

You are everywhere

[@andrewc.2952]

I love things like this. How highly educated and refined she was. Imagine what she knew of plays, art, music, and poetry. She was most likely raised with a classical education style. I love it.

[@steventyler8578]

She brought that heat 🔥

[@spencerallison3196]

I'd say my English is probably about equal. Thanks for the video.

[@Zaete0chan]

I love how human this recording is. She's covered in this amazing outfit, but she's still swaying back and forth nervously

[@chiron13]

Looks & sounds like Queen Elizabeth. Who else agrees ?

[@SocialistFinn1]

Looks?

[@user-umcub]

It's the sound quality

[@mr.personhumanson6871]

Most fluent non native English speakers back then would have English accents. Compared today where most might have American accent due to American medias taking over the world.

[@moonlace1560]

She does have a bit of the same nose and mouth Elizabeth has but I would assume that if these photos were in colour we would say much differently

[@Dreadlowq]

She doesnt lol She has a very prominent chinese accent in her English.

[@jhozsaaqua8786]

we need more like her.!!!!!!

[@shizukagozen777]

?????

[@ge2623]

I noticed she never looked down at her phone even ONCE!

[@dorothyjosefina]

Kinda surreal listening to someone who sounds so natural and realizing that they lived and died long before even your grandparents were born.

[@Escap1st7]

Your grandparents would be born before or around the time she lived, I'd reckon. This was around 1930, early 20th century.

[@anoon-]

@@Escap1st7 people born in the 40's are in their 80's that's a reasonable age for being a grandparent.

[@anoon-]

But the part about her dying before grandparents being born is a stretch but possible

[@anditard]

pfft my grandad born in 1901..

[@anditard]

he had my dad in his 60's

[@kasikasivendjinn5345]

Funny the only language she probably didn’t learn is Manchu.

[@shounakbanerjee8904]

@Trip Gil Not Macchu Pichu. Manchu the language spoken in Manchuria, the homeland of the Qings.

[@DMCS1917]

@Trip Gil you are dim aren’t you

[@DoctorDeath147]

@Trip Gil genius

[@Ginko77]

The amount of bamboozle in this comment chain is topkek

[@realdy]

Funny how most Han Chinese culture got removed and replaced with Manchurian clothes, hairstyles, and culture, most Manchurians got assimilated into Han Chinese in language for 300 years of rule. During 300 years, every Manchurians except the emperor changed their name into Mandarin and forgot how to speak Manchurian. Now in 21st century, there are only 10 million Manchurians left and only 19 of them speaks Manchurian as their mother tongue. It's like most British and even Queen Elizabeth forgets how to speak english but Hindi.

[@kilowatt6209]

It's so fascinating to see how people back in the day would use tone, speed etc when speaking. How much has changed

[@chambersbenjo]

Wow. sounds great

[@_m0b142]

moves to america, child immediately procures a gun from his kindergarten.

[@no-nj5mb]

Who needs Healthcare when you can have guns anyway

[@Tregearthisshi]

Your profile look wrong 👁️👄👁️

[@mettapeachhead2076]

Wtf is your profile

[@adyhottie]

@@mettapeachhead2076 Pikachu never Pika'd after that day ever again.

[@adyhottie]

@@Tregearthisshi That day, Pikachu will never forget how he lost his-

[@thehopeofeden597]

Not that her English isn’t fantastic or anything, it’s truly great! Especially given the lack of Western and Eastern interaction at the time but also, but most people in the world can speak multiple languages, including the Chinese and the high class of course. Still she seems very iconic and regal.

[@sylamy7457]

My English is still better lmao, she's an amateur.

[@kdjoshi726]

@@sylamy7457 Unless you're from non-english speaking countries- I mean... from the countries where 1st language isn't English

[@frafra224]

Lol there was no short of western and eastern interraction at that time consider Europeans had colonies all over asia including many parts of china. The fucking opium war and boxer rebellion were caused by too much interactions between east and west.

[@mta4562]

@@kdjoshi726 the us does not have an official language. most americans speak english, but you don't have to. a sizable part of the u.s. speaks Spanish, at least where i live.

[@mta4562]

@@sylamy7457 no, it isn't.

[@pumfeethermodynamics3286]

Now it's viral on the English internet

[@shipwreck9146]

Based on my usual youtube recommendations, I expect that this would be a meme.

[@MayaPapayaaaa_]

Me: (stutter) -___-_--__- Her: _________________

[@Ramiz422]

No surprise. She must have been living/studying abroad.

[@Hilariusgamer]

no she just used lot of Duolingo

[@germangonzales2008]

@@Hilariusgamer IT WAS CGI

[@Ahmadkhabbazeh]

That last picture is so gangster

[@lucienblanchette3134]

The message underlying the viral video is that even a dynasty considered by many to be closed off and behind the times in early 1900, have people who are resilient and adopt to changing times. A society can only be as successful as it is willing to have dialogue and relationship with rest of the world.