Empress Dowager CIXI: The concubine who lauched modern China

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From the internationally bestselling author of Wild Swans, this dramatic biography explores the life of a remarkable woman who ruled China for 50 years, transforming the nation from concubine to Empress. Cixi, a figure of immense wealth yet largely confined within palace walls, was a mother, a ruthless adversary, and a brilliant strategist. The author presents Cixi as one of the most formidable and enlightened rulers in history. Selected as a concubine at 12 by Emperor Xianfeng, she bore his only male heir, who became Emperor at just four years old after his father's death in 1861. In a masterstroke, Cixi allied with the Emperor's widow to orchestrate a coup, ousting the regents and becoming the sole Regent. Despite her lack of formal training, she and the widow studied history and politics, ruling the vast nation from behind a curtain. Following the death of her son, she appointed a young nephew as Emperor, maintaining her influence until her death in 1908. The author crafts a complex portrait of Cixi, highlighting her ruthlessness against rivals, her thirst for knowledge, her strategic appointments of Westerners, and her commitment to preserving China's cultural heritage while embracing modernization, including the controversial ban on footbinding.