A review by talkingdogg
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang

4.0

Jung Chang is an engaging author who can make dry, dusty history come to life. Her prior book Wild Swans is one of my favorite glimpses into the complex history that informs modern China, and this book follows suit in its quality. This is an extensively researched volume which will enrich one's understanding of the complex and multidimensional history of China as its last imperial dynasty confronted modernization, the West, and internal social challenges.