The Story of Empress Dowager Cixi

Told in an accessible yet rigorous style, this book follows the real timeline of Cixi’s life, from her birth in 1835 to her death in 1908, tracing the story of a woman who shaped half a century of the late Qing dynasty. From Lan Guiren, when the Yehenara woman first entered the palace, to Consort Yi and then Noble Consort Yi after giving birth to a prince; from seizing power in the Xinyou Coup and governing from behind the curtain alongside the other empress dowager, to wielding power alone, promoting the Self-Strengthening Movement, and facing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Hundred Days’ Reform; and finally, to her end amid the tug-of-war between new reforms and imperial authority. The book recreates the details of key historical events such as the selection of palace women, the coup, and the flight west, while also bringing palace life and political power struggles vividly to life. Avoiding simplistic judgments, it presents Cixi’s choices and struggles amid the crises of her time from a measured perspective, sketching the history of the late Qing dynasty as it limped toward its end. Readers can enjoy an easy read while gaining a deeper understanding of Cixi’s life and the rise and fall of the late Qing.