By the Dragon Throne: The Secret Diaries of Empresses Through the Ages

In the shadow of imperial power at its height, the space beside the dragon throne was never a haven of tenderness, but the sharpest arena of political struggle. Meticulously researched by Bi Wenqian, this work of historical narrative takes the intimate perspectives of empresses through the ages to reveal the wounds beneath the splendid robes of the court, bringing two thousand years of palace intrigue and women's fates to life through yellowed “journals.”

Breaking from the cold narration of official histories, the book uses fictional “journals” to weave together genuine historical records and folk legends, creating a new tale of the inner palace and exposing its cruel rules of survival: an empress's womb is the empire's “granary,” and historians prize records of childbirth more than poetry; every feather on the nine-hui, four-phoenix crown has been soaked in the blood and tears of its predecessors; even the silver mirror used for morning makeup may be an imperial spy.

With the delicate touch of an archaeologist, Bi Wenqian fills the silences of the historical record with the breath and heartbeat of women. Through the mottled ink of these “journals,” we see not only how empresses weighed favor against power beside the dragon throne, but also how women warped by power used their youth, their children, and even their souls to carve out a space for survival under the iron laws of patriarchy. This is The Second Sex set in the imperial palace, and a song of ice and fire about women's awakening under feudal rule.