Abstract: Based on an analysis of fragmentary documents in both Chinese and other languages , this article verifies precisely the beginning period of English study initiated by the Guangxu emperor that began on the 25th day of the tenth month of the Guangxu reign (November 26th) in 1891. Yan Yongjing , who had studied in the United States , was nominated as a candidate to teach English to the Guangxu emperor. Between 1891 and 1894 , formally assisting the emperor’s English were Zhang Deyi and Shen Duo , who were graduates of the Tong Wen Academy in Beijing. The Guangxu emperor continued to study English on his own until approximately 1908. The author analyzes the English dictionaries used in the palace by the Guangxu emperor during the late2Qing dynasty, such as Commercial Press English and Chinese Pronouncing Dictionary, Commercial Pressp English and Chinese Dictionary, and English and Chinese Readers From2Primer to Fifth Reader Bound in Ivol. The author also presents his preliminary views concerning the influence and significance of English study by the Guangxu emperor overall on foreign language studies within the imperial family and on Chinese society as a whole.