"A Joke about the Twenty-Nine Queens of the Qing Dynasty" deconstructs the history of the harem in the Qing Dynasty from a unique perspective, interweaving power, desire and women's fate into a vivid historical portrait. The book not only contains legendary women with power such as Xiaozhuang and Cixi, but also unearths tragic figures such as Arut (Empress Tongzhi) and Nala (successor of Qianlong) who were buried by history. The author uses "joking" as a writing style and skillfully combines official historical records and folk anecdotes, which not only restores the cruelty of palace struggles, but also shows the queens' struggle and awakening in the political and emotional gap.
