โ Scribed by Min, Anchee
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The last decades of the nineteenth century were a violent period in China's history marked by humiliating foreign incursions and domestic rebellion, ultimately ending in the demise of the Ch'ing dynasty. The only constant during this tumultuous time was the power wielded by one person: the resilient, ever-resourceful Tzu Hsi, or Empress Orchid, as readers came to know her in [this] novel covering the first part of this complex woman's life. The Last Empress is the story of Orchid's dramatic transition from a strong-willed, instinctive young woman to a wise and politically savvy leader. Moving from the intimacy of the concubine quarters into the spotlight of the world stage, Orchid must not only face the perilous condition of her empire but also a series of devastating personal losses, as first her son and then her adopted son succumb to early death. Yearning only to step aside, and yet growing constantly into her role, only she--allied with the progressives, but loyal to the conservative Manchu clan of her dynasty--can hold the nation"s rival factions together.-Publisher description.
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The last decades of the nineteenth century were a violent period in China's history marked by humiliating foreign incursions and domestic rebellion, ultimately ending in the demise of the Ch'ing dynasty. The only constant during this tumultuous time was the power wielded by one person, the resilient
### Amazon.com Review Power is a here-today, gone-tomorrow concept in Chinese history, especially for women. In her previous novel, *Empress Orchid*, Anchee Min covered the first part of the life of Tzu Hsi, or Empress Orchid. Now, in *The Last Empress*, the empress is a widow, mother of the only m
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