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With the Empress Dowager Of China
Published in the year 1986, With The Empress Dowager Of Chin is a valuable contribution to the field of Asian Studies.
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 17, 2023
I was initially drawn to this book because I was told it was one of the best primary sources in English on the court of Empress Cixi at the Summer Palace. I expected the facts, observations, and beautiful illustrations to be couched in a fair amount of racial prejudice and cultural chauvinism, which would only have been typical of the time.
However, I was very pleasantly surprised. This was a beautifully woman-centred book. Not only was it written from the perspective of a woman, interacting with and describing other women, but its entire attitude towards its subjects was markedly feminine - i.e.: the author's predisposition was to give way and to make allowances. She acknowledged her own outsider status and ignorance of the host culture. She did not have the missionary tendency to make harsh judgments and impositions. She did not have any pretence towards being an observer from a superior civilisation.
Quotes:
'The peculiar position of a Chinese Emperor [...] shuts him in his Palace like a Buddha in a temple. [...] When the Ruler of the Celestial Empire is a woman, the Palace becomes even more of a [...] shut-in shrine than in the case of an Emperor'.
'The Palaces of Chinese Emperors are like towns'.
'During the long Co-Regency of these two remarkable women, widows of the Emperor Hsien-feng, one led the life of a student; the other, the active, militant life of a ruler'.
'One of [Her Majesty's] favourite historical characters is the Chinese Jeanne d'Arc, the warlike Maiden Whar-Mou-Lan, who went forth to battle in masculine guise, had many heroic adventures in her twelve years' service, and, through them all, remained a virgin pure'.
p.163-4 when the ideal portrait is described
Chapter 30 the Empress Dowager
The entire chapter on the Summer Palace
"The Chinese are said to hate the foreigner. They certainly have not much reason to like him; nor to admire our much-vaunted civilisation. The European Christian soldier in China has burnt, destroyed, and killed with as much barbarity as the heathen, and in many instances has given the latter points in cruelty".
However, I was very pleasantly surprised. This was a beautifully woman-centred book. Not only was it written from the perspective of a woman, interacting with and describing other women, but its entire attitude towards its subjects was markedly feminine - i.e.: the author's predisposition was to give way and to make allowances. She acknowledged her own outsider status and ignorance of the host culture. She did not have the missionary tendency to make harsh judgments and impositions. She did not have any pretence towards being an observer from a superior civilisation.
Quotes:
'The peculiar position of a Chinese Emperor [...] shuts him in his Palace like a Buddha in a temple. [...] When the Ruler of the Celestial Empire is a woman, the Palace becomes even more of a [...] shut-in shrine than in the case of an Emperor'.
'The Palaces of Chinese Emperors are like towns'.
'During the long Co-Regency of these two remarkable women, widows of the Emperor Hsien-feng, one led the life of a student; the other, the active, militant life of a ruler'.
'One of [Her Majesty's] favourite historical characters is the Chinese Jeanne d'Arc, the warlike Maiden Whar-Mou-Lan, who went forth to battle in masculine guise, had many heroic adventures in her twelve years' service, and, through them all, remained a virgin pure'.
p.163-4 when the ideal portrait is described
Chapter 30 the Empress Dowager
The entire chapter on the Summer Palace
"The Chinese are said to hate the foreigner. They certainly have not much reason to like him; nor to admire our much-vaunted civilisation. The European Christian soldier in China has burnt, destroyed, and killed with as much barbarity as the heathen, and in many instances has given the latter points in cruelty".
November 12, 2023
Interesting first person account by Katherine Carl about her 9 months spent in the royal Qing court painting empress dowager Ci Xu’s likeness. It’s more of a curiosity than that it gives a deeper understanding of the person on the throne. It never becomes really clear how inevitable miscommunication and misconceptions, as well as communicating through a translator may have clouded the interaction. Sometimes unique chance interactions are thrown to the unprepared. Felt a bit sad for the missed opportunity of a truly unique first person account.
As a long time China resident, with some experiences interacting with city or provincial officials, it did make me wonder on how I would have fared understanding and describing a stay at the Summer Palace.
As a long time China resident, with some experiences interacting with city or provincial officials, it did make me wonder on how I would have fared understanding and describing a stay at the Summer Palace.
July 8, 2014
Compelling and eye opening. I found it to be very enjoyable and, even with some flaws and inaccuracies, it was good to read a sympathetic biography of a much maligned woman ruler. She was certainly not the monster that most histories paint her to be. On the contrary, she was a ruler with a heart for her country and a conviction few men before her held.
March 10, 2026
Historically fascinating—although some parts were a bit laborious, and I found it emotionally difficult to move past the castes represented as simply understood. Both the empress and the author are extremely interesting studies who were well ahead of their time in many respects. I enjoyed the learning…and all the wiki rabbit trails I took!
December 3, 2015
I enjoyed this book immensely. Carl is a very engaging writer, and I could easily imagine myself by her side, experiencing the same highs and lows that she does (she uses a lot of exclamation marks!) and empathizing with her when something does not play out the way she would have liked. It's also rather refreshing to read about a westerner's perspective of Cixi that wasn't completely negative and/or racist--hard to come by in the Empress Dowager's day and age.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews