Top Ten Queens of China - The Story of Empress Dowager Cixi

Author: Jilin People's Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-05-01
Features: A Record of the Lives of the Top Ten Emperors and Empresses, A Study of Female Dominance, A Scandalous Book of Palace Passion, A History of Palace Sin. For women to rule was considered a rebellious act in feudal China, where patriarchal and husband-centric ideologies were deeply entrenched, with the belief that "a hen crows at dawn, bringing ruin to the family. A female replaces a male in song, and the family perishes. A wife usurps her husband's rule, and the state collapses." The three thousand beauties in the imperial harem were an underestimated political force, and as empresses, they held the position of "below one, above ten thousand." This book selects the ten most representative empresses in Chinese history. Among them are Daji and Zhao Feiyang, who changed the destiny of their nations with their unparalleled beauty and were later regarded by later generations as "harlots" and "ruin-bringing queens." There is Lü Zhi, the first female regent in Chinese history. There is Feng Taihe, who built the Northern Wei Dynasty with her extraordinary political abilities. There is Jia Nanfeng, a fierce and jealous empress who seized power for ten years with her cunning. There is Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history. There is the Empress Wei, who bore humiliation in her misfortunes and became tyrannical once in power. There is Xiao Taihe, the brilliant empress who revitalized the Liao Dynasty. There is the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who painstakingly raised two young emperors to adulthood. There is the Empress Dowager Cixi, who held court for 48 years and single-handedly supported the perilous late Qing Dynasty. They were heroines and formidable women, as well as transformers and chroniclers of history. The ten most representative empresses in Chinese history, some rose to prominence through their beauty, some gained power through their cunning, and some ruled the world with their strategic prowess. Chinese history changed with their subtle smiles and gentle gestures, brimming with vitality. Perhaps the true history of China was written by their delicate fingers.