Cixi: Evil Empress of China?

Just from looking at the cover, it's clear that this book presents Cixi in a negative light. Much of the book's contents were historical fact (such as life in Beijing, the history of the Manchu takeover of China, etc etc) but the life of Cixi herself is under much speculation since there are comparatively few records of her personal life. Cixi is described as power-hungry, manipulative, and the like.

Yes, competition was fierce since there were many concubines and she would have to stand out and who's to say she didn't do SOME bad things? I certainly don't claim that Cixi was an angel or anything like that. But this book (and much of history) also blamed the fall of the Qing Dynasty on Cixi, when in fact she had little power if at all to show more be able to actually stand up to the Western invasion of China (which started before she was born and exacerbated greatly during her father-in-law and husband's reigns) as well as the natural disasters that befell her country.

She was surrounded by Manchu princes and courtiers who often hid things from her, and even before her death, she was used as a scapegoat because it was all too easy to just point fingers at her and make up crazy stories like how she killed her son and nephew. For a more factual and well-researched account of Cixi, read 'The Dragon Lady' by Sterling Seagrave, which explains her history and the history of the Qing Dynasty better. show less

This narrative nonfiction telling of Chinese history includes lots of photos, maps, and side notes that kept me reading.

Lexile 880