AUDIO

Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China

by Jung Chang
MP3 digital download. retail ed. 16½ hrs. Random Audio. 2013. ISBN 9780804149037. $25; Playaway digital. BIOG
COPY ISBN
Chang (Wild Swans) here chronicles Cixi, who rose to prominence after being Emperor Xianfeng's concubine, and debunks many of the myths surrounding her reign (e.g., that she was a despot and murdered her son and daughter-in-law to gain further power). Against great opposition, Cixi modernized China, introducing electricity, railways, and the telegraph and enhancing the military. Chang also explores the empress's personal life—Cixi fell in love with one of her eunuchs with tragic and wide-ranging consequences. When researching this work, Chang had access to new information and documents that enrich her meticulous, outstanding text. Narrator Jolene Kim's best creation is Cixi herself; her voice and emotion are appropriate and believable, with various Chinese accents and pronunciations adding authenticity.
VERDICT Lovers of in-depth biography and/or Chinese history will be richly rewarded. ["A fascinating and instructive biography for anyone interested in how today's China began," read the starred review of the Knopf hc, LJ 9/1/13.]
Reviewed by Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL , Mar 01, 2014
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