Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) is the most important woman in Chinese history. She ruled China for decades and brought a medieval empire into the modern age. This book presents a panoramic depiction of the birth of modern China and an intimate portrait of a woman.
"Jung Chang tells a story and what a colourful tale it is…This is history at its most readable" -- George Walden * Evening Standard *
"A truly authoritative account of Cixi’s rule. Her story is both important and evocative." -- Orville Schell * New York Times *
"Filled with new revelations, it's a gripping and surprising story of an extraordinary woman in power. Using Chinese sources, totally untapped by western books, this reappraises one of the great monstresses of modern history... Jung Chang's revisionism means that this book reveals a new and different woman: ambitious, sometimes murderous, but pragmatic and unique. All of this adds up to make Empress Dowager Cixi a powerful read." -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * BBC History Magazine *
"If there is one woman who mattered in the history of modern China, it is the empress dowager Cixi…[Her] conventional image is queried in this detailed and beautifully narrated biography, which at long last restores the empress dowager to her rightful place. Chang’s book relies heavily on the vast holdings in the imperial archives in Beijing... She has a wonderful eye for the telling detail and excels at unravelling palace intrigues and corridor politics." -- Frank Dikotter * Sunday Times *
"Chang has a proven Midas touch... Empress Dowager, by returning to female experience in the style of Wild Swans yet focusing, like Mao, on a controversial ruler, should appeal to fans of both." -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom * Financial Times *
"A truly authoritative account of Cixi’s rule. Her story is both important and evocative." -- Orville Schell * New York Times *
"Filled with new revelations, it's a gripping and surprising story of an extraordinary woman in power. Using Chinese sources, totally untapped by western books, this reappraises one of the great monstresses of modern history... Jung Chang's revisionism means that this book reveals a new and different woman: ambitious, sometimes murderous, but pragmatic and unique. All of this adds up to make Empress Dowager Cixi a powerful read." -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * BBC History Magazine *
"If there is one woman who mattered in the history of modern China, it is the empress dowager Cixi…[Her] conventional image is queried in this detailed and beautifully narrated biography, which at long last restores the empress dowager to her rightful place. Chang’s book relies heavily on the vast holdings in the imperial archives in Beijing... She has a wonderful eye for the telling detail and excels at unravelling palace intrigues and corridor politics." -- Frank Dikotter * Sunday Times *
"Chang has a proven Midas touch... Empress Dowager, by returning to female experience in the style of Wild Swans yet focusing, like Mao, on a controversial ruler, should appeal to fans of both." -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom * Financial Times *
Jung Chang is the best-selling author of Wild Swans (1991, which the Asian Wall Street Journal called the most read book about China), and Mao: The Unknown Story (2005, with Jon Halliday), which was described by Time Magazine as `an atom bomb of a book’. Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 15 million copies outside mainland China where they are both banned.. She was born in China in 1952, and came to Britain in 1978. She lives in London.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780224087438 |
| ISBN 10 | 0224087436 |
| Title | Empress Dowager Cixi |
| Author | Jung Chang |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2013-09-26 |
| Number of pages | 464 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for James Tait Black Award for Biography 2014 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |