Books like Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang

Jung Chang draws on newly available archival material to challenge the long‑standing image of Empress Dowager Cixi as a tyrannical ruler. Beginning with her selection as a concubine in 1852, the biography traces her rapid rise to power after Emperor Xianfeng’s death, her strategic maneuvering against regents, and her decision to govern through a silk screen that kept her from male officials. The narrative details Cixi’s pivotal role in ushering China into modernity: the establishment of railways, electrification, and a modernized military equipped with contemporary weaponry. It also highlights her progressive domestic policies, including the abolition of foot‑binding, early steps toward women’s liberation, and attempts to introduce voting rights. Chang frames her reign as a period of crucial transformation that reshaped China’s political and social landscape during a time of contentious foreign relations.

First publish date: 2013