From the beloved, internationally bestselling author of Wild Swans , and co-author of the bestselling Mao: The Unknown Story , the dramatic, epic biography of the unusual woman who ruled China for 50 years, from concubine to Empress, overturning centuries of traditions and formalities to bring China into the modern world. A woman, an Empress of immense wealth who was largely a prisoner within the compound walls of her palaces, a mother, a ruthless enemy, and a brilliant strategist: Chang makes a compelling case that Cixi ...
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From the beloved, internationally bestselling author of Wild Swans , and co-author of the bestselling Mao: The Unknown Story , the dramatic, epic biography of the unusual woman who ruled China for 50 years, from concubine to Empress, overturning centuries of traditions and formalities to bring China into the modern world. A woman, an Empress of immense wealth who was largely a prisoner within the compound walls of her palaces, a mother, a ruthless enemy, and a brilliant strategist: Chang makes a compelling case that Cixi was one of the most formidable and enlightened rulers of any nation. Cixi led an intense and singular life. Chosen at the age of 12 to be a concubine by the Emperor Xianfeng, she gave birth to his only male heir who at four was designated Emperor when his father died in 1861. In a brilliant move, the young woman enlisted the help of the Emperor's widow and the two women orchestrated a coup that ousted the regents and made Cixi sole Regent. Untrained and untaught, the two studied history and politics together, ruling the huge nation from behind a curtain. When her boy died, Cixi designated a young nephew as Emperor, continuing her reign till her death in 1908. Chang gives us a complex, riveting portrait of Cixi through a reign as long as that of her fellow Empress, Victoria, whom she longed to meet: her ruthlessness in fighting off rivals; her curiosity to learn; her reliance on Westerners who she placed in key positions; and her sensitivity and desire to preserve the distinctiveness of China's past while overturning traditions (she, as Chang reveals--not Mao, as he claimed--banned footbinding) and exposing its culture to western ideas and technology.
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Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $14.11, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $14.11, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $14.11, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $27.00, very good condition, Sold by Ainsworth Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sumas, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket. 0307357546. DJ and boards show very light shelf wear, previous dealers stamp on back pastedown, remainder marks on top and bottom page edges.; A bright, solid book, dustjacket in Mylar, unclipped.; Large 8vo 9"-10" tall; 436 pages; "In this groundbreaking biography, Jung Chang vividly describes how Empress Dowager Cixi – the most important woman in Chinese history – brought a medieval empire into the modern age. Under her, the ancient country attained virtually all the attributes of a modern state and it was she who abolished gruesome punishments like ‘death by a thousand cuts' and put an end to foot-binding. Jung Chang comprehensively overturns the conventional view of Cixi as a diehard conservative and cruel despot andalso takes the reader into the depths of her splendid Summer Palace and the harem of Beijing's Forbidden City, where she lived surrounded by eunuchs – with one of whom she fell in love, with tragic consequences."
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched to cart. $23.99, good condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $31.00, like new condition, Sold by Brian Bauld (B-Line Books) rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Amherst, NS, CANADA, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $43.69, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi: the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $89.99, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
Add this copy of Empress Dowager Cixi the Concubine Who Launched Modern to cart. $42.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2013 by Random House Canada.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 0307357546. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. Minor rubbing to edges of jacket.; 9.37 X 6.38 X 1.65 inches; 448 pages.
