Jung Chang

A portrait of the nineteenth-century empress covers the coup that made her regent after her father's death, her defiance of centuries of traditions and formalities, and her role in introducing Western political ideas and technologies.

The Concubine Who Launched Modern China

Empress Dowager Cixi

Jade Flynn

This is the third time I've given a Jung Chang five stars.

Magdalene Lim

The fact that I managed to finish this dictionary (thickness) of a book despite the inconvenience of toting it around speaks volumes. JK. While I'm not sure how accurate all the things listed in this book are, it does show you what Cixi life was like, and the key players she interacted with, whether it's Empress Zhen whom she worked with, or the countless Emperors she held power over. It's also weird/sad how she held so much power yet couldn't do things just cos' she was a woman.

Empress Dowager Cixi The Concubine Who Launched Modern China

Reviews