Beauty with a Slender Waist

On the ancient land of China, a great empire once arose, only to be mercilessly swallowed by the long river of history. It was the State of Chu, which dominated Chinese civilization for eight hundred years. At its height, the territory under its rule equaled the combined lands of all the other feudal states of the time.

This book focuses on just one period in Chu's eight-hundred-year history, roughly 545 to 500 BC. It tells a tragic tale that unfolds around Zhanghua Terrace, said to be the greatest terrace under heaven. The story blends fact and fiction; believe it or not, as you please.

Zhanghua Terrace, also known as Zhanghua Palace, Three-Rest Terrace, or Slender Waist Palace, was a detached palace built by King Ling of Chu in 535 BC. It was later destroyed in the turmoil of war. Historical records say the terrace stood ten zhang high, with a base fifteen zhang wide, its winding railings climbing skyward between the waters and the heavens. Its grandeur and splendor earned it the title of