Questions About Empress Orchid (Empress Orchid, #1)

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This book is about the life of Empress Dowager Cixi, but not written by Dowager herself. My question is, how did the writer (Anchee Min) know all the details about the empress' life and how much can we trust the accuracy of the events?

Asterope It's historical fiction, so of course it wouldn't be written by the Empress herself. The author, like all writers of historical and biographical ficti…moreIt's historical fiction, so of course it wouldn't be written by the Empress herself. The author, like all writers of historical and biographical fiction combines facts and mixes it with fiction. It appears she did her research, even reading primary sources and documents.

From the publisher's website:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/r...

Q) You did extensive research for Becoming Madame Mao and lived through the Cultural Revolution in China, which added a special intensity to your descriptions. Did similar experiences inform Empress Orchid?

A) Details are extremely important to me. The most challenging thing has been to get the facts and get them right. There are sometimes several contrasting versions of a single incident involving Empress Orchid, and many sources are false or inaccurate. I went through documents not only in the Forbidden City, but also medical, accounting, and police records. My reading on the lives of eunuchs, maids, palace tutors, imperial warlords, and generals helped me gain crucial perspective. The Empress's food and herb manuals and her opera manuals also revealed a lot about her character.

Q) Remarkably, you and your father were able to gain access to documents in government-guarded storerooms in Beijing. Would you describe how it happened?

A) Well, I had to get my hands on the facts, but no official in Beijing would risk his career to open the door for me. So I tried the "back door." I can't say more than this, because I don't want to get the person who helped me in trouble. Anyway, I got in. The place where all the ancient documents are stored is treated with strong chemicals, so I was told not to stay inside for more than half an hour. But I didn't want to leave. I read the Empress's original decrees (or copies of decrees, I can't be sure). I was choking on the fumes, but I was glad I stayed. The evidence was compelling that she was a fitter ruler than anyone else of that time. There was a reason her regime lasted for forty-six years.
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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Ada Angharad I think it was a silent and discrete invitation to the Empress to enjoy her life and make out with that general. He did not bow because he was an acco…moreI think it was a silent and discrete invitation to the Empress to enjoy her life and make out with that general. He did not bow because he was an accomplice now. He was the only one to know her secret. I expect him to be the same devoted and faithful servant but still...(less)

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