First of all, reasons of biography- why is there such a divergence in naming this remarkable woman? What is there in a name? Well, it turns out, rather a lot, and possibly in the context of late nineteenth-century China, even more than usual. Even more particularly, I teach on the powerful women of the Italian and Elizabethan Renaissance (Isabella d’Este, Queen Elizabeth I, Bess of Hardwick etc) and one of the themes I have returned to in my reading recently are writings about the Empress Dowager Tzu-Hsi, Lady Yehonala, Cixi- which are just some of the many names she is known by/ As in Western literature, she is usually referred to as Cixi, I will use this name here for convenience’s sake, but clearly, if sources disagree on what to call a significant historical character, then we have the first indication already of a subject worth looking into in more detail, for all sorts of reasons. As far as my reading is concerned, one of my main research interests as a professional art historians concerns the discousres of power and especially gender. Or rather, I have no idea whether I shall master Mandarin, but I am giving it a go, and am enjoying this very much too.

with heart-wrenching scenes of desperate failure and a sensuality that rises off its heated pages.My reecent trip to China in June 2014 still has a profound impact on my spare-time reading, and has even meant that I am tackling an item on my bucket list, which is learning Mandarin. 'A sexually charged, eye-opening portrayal of the Chinese empire. with heart-wrenching scenes of desperate failure and a sensuality that rises off its heated pages.' - Elle

In this 'absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao,' readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world ( The New York Times). When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of the country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. A revisionist portrait of a beautiful and strong-willed woman' ( Houston Chronicle ).Ī San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Yearįrom Anchee Min, a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. 'A fascinating novel, similar to Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha.

Empress orchid