The Chinese Princess of the Victorian Era

Juliet Zhu is a rookie fashion designer. Her surname is Zhu and her given name is Liyè. Transmigrated to the Victorian era with nothing to her name, no identity, and no English skills, she decides to claim she’s a princess from China.

At the time, the West was caught up in an “Oriental craze.” A fraud claiming to be an Eastern princess could make it all the way to London. A Frenchwoman who claimed to be a princess of Emperor Kangxi could send Paris into a frenzy. When the Guangzhou woman Mei Afang arrived in New York, tens of thousands of dollars poured in.

Juliet decided she wanted that status, popularity, and fortune. She would have it all.

A Western classics crossover

Princess Juliet of China starts an “Oriental craze” in Britain and makes headlines with all sorts of sensational stories.

“Shocking! Mysterious Woman Lands on the Gloucestershire Coast, Claims to Be a Chinese Princess”

“Lord Puts Her to the Test: Eastern Lady Identifies Antique’s Correct Use”

“Juliet’s Tea Party: A Winding Stream Banquet Proves She Comes from a Civilized World”

“Juliet Calls Out Sinologists: The Renowned Experts Have Never Even Seen the Chinese Emperor”

“Unheard Of! Lady-in-Waiting Stunned by Princess’s Phoenix Crown”

“Eastern Princess Granted an Audience with the Queen”

“Eastern Princess Designs a Truly Stunning Gown”

“Elderly Chinese Man Confirms Princess’s Identity”

“Not a True Londoner Unless You Share This: Princess Discovers Crime While Serving Porridge”

“Fire at the Princess’s Home”

“Princess Takes Lodgings on Baker Street”

“Princess Destroys Squinty-Eyed Comics, Declares: ‘They’re So Ugly I Can’t Stand Them’”

“The Princess Treats Londoners to a Hundred Shadow-Puppet Shows: The Monkey Sage’s Training and Travels, and Lady White the Great Serpent’s Debt of Gratitude”

“Princess’s Fashion Salon Draws the French”

“Eastern Adventurer: Princess Meets the Count of Monte Cristo”

“Fake Princess Exposed: She Sees Kimchi and Calls It a Royal Banquet”

“Astonishing! Princess Unveils a Christmas Tree Taller Than a Building”

“Princess Takes Up Women’s Golf”

“Princess Goes to Manchester to Build a Chinatown”

“Princess Buys an Abandoned Factory”

“Princess Brings Fashion to Manchester”

“Princess Visits the Scottish Borders”

“Princess Arrives in Birmingham by Hot-Air Balloon”

“The Princess’s Dress Has 1,389 Diamonds”

“Princess Starts a Railway Tourism Craze, Invests in the Orient Express”

“The Princess’s Flush Toilet”

…

“Princess’s Fortune Soars: Buys a Castle and Develops a Golden Beach”

The story of an Eastern princess who rises step by step in the Victorian era through fashion design and Eastern culture.

Theme: Even a little designer deserves a big runway