Rating: 
Summary: Important, explosive account of how "history" was created
Review: Seagrave has made a brilliant career of exploding sacred cows and correcting historical falsehoods and lies, and exposing the criminality and propaganda upon which so much of "history" is built. In this epic account, drawing on overlooked and previously unpublished sources, Seagrave destroys longheld myths (that are still touted as "fact" by most western and Chinese scholars) and presents a startling and critical "flip side" reappraisal of the collapse of the Ching dynasty and the life of the eternally demonized Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi. The demented British propagandists, Edmund Backhouse and J.O.P. Bland, are finally exposed as liars and frauds whose blatant propaganda unfortunately helped define world opinion, and in turn agitated further western atrocities upon China and the Ching regime. Chinese operatives Kang Yu-Wei, and the legion of corrupt ultra-reactionary princes behind the throne (the true power in the late Ching), are also spared no quarter. Tzu Hsi herself is shown to be a somewhat ignorant hostage and figurehead, caught between Ironhat Manchu operatives wreaking havoc internally, and imperialist foreign powers intent on using all pretexts to carve open China and plunder it. More importantly, Seagrave provides evidence that virtually none of the hellish acts attributed to Tzu Hsi ever happened, and backs it up with convincing evidence. She was not the all-powerful and evil murderess and animal as depicted by scores of "world class" intellectuals and East Asian scholars (even Jonathan Spence) and generations of books and films glorifying Tzu Hsi's "reptilian evil". This, along with "Soong Dynasty", is an essential read for anyone who wants a starlingly clear view of late Ching-early Republic era China. Highest possible recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating account
Review: Seagrave tells the story of Tzu Hsi, the celebrated Empress Dowager who dominated the Qing court for almost half a century. He goes entirely against the views of earlier biographers, who have labeled Tzu Hsi as an evil genius, to give a story of a fairly ordinary woman overwhelmed by the nearly impossible task of trying to reform a failing dynasty against intense opposition from the reactionary Manchu noblemen.Familiar events to students of Qing dynasty history, such as the Tung Chih era, the Hundred Days Reform, and the Boxer Rebellion are all here, but these events, especially the last, are treated quite differently by Seagrave, who tells a story entirely different from most accounts. Seagrave also goes into some detail regarding the lives and characters of George Morrison and Edmund Backhouse, China experts and correspondents for the London Times, who are the primary creators of the traditional accounts of Tzu Hsi's crimes. Backhouses's extravagantly pornographic accounts are particularly bizarre - it's incredible that he could have ever been taken seriously as a historical source. There are some problems with the book. Every source listed in the bibliography is in English, raising the question of how much Seagrave has studied the Chinese literature, even if he knows the language. Seagrave does make some statements of fact which are obviously speculation, such as "Tzu Hsi pushed for her nephew's selection as the new Emperor in part to rescue him from his mother's abuse." (p 161) And the endnotes are also occasionally off, referring to the wrong page in the text. These flaws are fairly minor, but they are troublesome in a book which revises traditional understandings so radically. One subject which Seagrave touches on briefly, but really could have expanded further, is the consistent demonization of women in traditional Chinese history. Women were blamed for the collapse of the three earliest dynasties. Empress Wu, in the Tang dynasty, was also described as a tyrant and nymphomaniac, often compared to Tzu Hsi, but it seems probable that this account also was exaggerated if not altogether false. Another imperial mistress was blamed for sparking a civil war that ended the Tang's glory days. Nor has this ended in the modern era - the attempt to blame the disasters of the Cultural Revolution on Mao's wife shows that Chinese tradition is still strong in the Communist age. Seagrave's account of this important era, and of how mythology and pornograph
y were turned into history is an amazing story, full of colorful incidents.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating account
Review: Seagrave tells the story of Tzu Hsi, the celebrated Empress Dowager who dominated the Qing court for almost half a century. He goes entirely against the views of earlier biographers, who have labeled Tzu Hsi as an evil genius, to give a story of a fairly ordinary woman overwhelmed by the nearly impossible task of trying to reform a failing dynasty against intense opposition from the reactionary Manchu noblemen. Familiar events to students of Qing dynasty history, such as the Tung Chih era, the Hundred Days Reform, and the Boxer Rebellion are all here, but these events, especially the last, are treated quite differently by Seagrave, who tells a story entirely different from most accounts. Seagrave also goes into some detail regarding the lives and characters of George Morrison and Edmund Backhouse, China experts and correspondents for the London Times, who are the primary creators of the traditional accounts of Tzu Hsi's crimes. Backhouses's extravagantly pornographic accounts are particularly bizarre - it's incredible that he could have ever been taken seriously as a historical source. There are some problems with the book. Every source listed in the bibliography is in English, raising the question of how much Seagrave has studied the Chinese literature, even if he knows the language. Seagrave does make some statements of fact which are obviously speculation, such as "Tzu Hsi pushed for her nephew's selection as the new Emperor in part to rescue him from his mother's abuse." (p 161) And the endnotes are also occasionally off, referring to the wrong page in the text. These flaws are fairly minor, but they are troublesome in a book which revises traditional understandings so radically. One subject which Seagrave touches on briefly, but really could have expanded further, is the consistent demonization of women in traditional Chinese history. Women were blamed for the collapse of the three earliest dynasties. Empress Wu, in the Tang dynasty, was also described as a tyrant and nymphomaniac, often compared to Tzu Hsi, but it seems probable that this account also was exaggerated if not altogether false. Another imperial mistress was blamed for sparking a civil war that ended the Tang's glory days. Nor has this ended in the modern era - the attempt to blame the disasters of the Cultural Revolution on Mao's wife shows that Chinese tradition is still strong in the Communist age. Seagrave's account of this important era, and of how mythology and pornograph
y were turned into history is an amazing story, full of colorful incidents.
Rating:
Summary: Well-detailed book that debunks historical falsehoods
Review: Seagrave's book is fascinating. He tells how a corrupt Englishman used the London Times to enhance his own career at the expense of the truth and a Chinese Empress who could not defend herself. The book is rich in contextual detail, written in a lively style (it is genuinely hard to put down), and shows so very clearly why many Westerners are clueless and misguided about China: we have had decades, if not centuries, of bad information.
Rating: 
Summary: History
Review: The book itself is rather good. What I can't stand is, it's ignoring the facts. Ci-Xi is definitely NOT the last empress of China. The last one is Wanrong. I know, because I am Chinese. Wanrong led a very tragical life, as she was the very last empress, at the end of the Qing dynasty. She was there when it fell. Ci-Xi is like her husband's aunt or something.
Rating:
Summary: biographical inquiry lost in apologia
Review: The Soong Dynasty, by the same author, is among the best I've ever read. Sadly, I can't say the same for Dragon Lady. Yes, this dealt rather completely with the Ching dynasty's last gasps, and the Boxer Rebellion is treated admirably, but this lacked focus and intensity. This is an apologia, not a biography. Seagrave's true focus is debunking the European myth of Chinese history, and exposing the European "experts" of the period as hooligans and liars of the first order. Only rarely does the reader learn anything about an historical figure who seems remarkably complex and worthy of independent investigation. My rating is based on what is rich in this book, historical detail, rather than what is missing, biographical investigation. Then again, maybe the error was in the title.
Rating:
Summary: Glimpses of Tzu-Hsi
Review: This book is less a biogrogaphy of "the dragon empress" Tzu-Hsi of China than a revison of 19th century Chinese history. This work is important because the author has rechecked the validity of the usual sources on 19th cent history and found them very wanting - and very biased to boot. It shows the worth of double checking your sources when doing research and questioning 'experts'. Mind you, this could also apply to this book to some extent as it could have been improved with more chinese sources. Where this book fails is as a biography of Tzu-Hsi, she only takes up a small section of the book, the rest is all explanation of various plots and "foreign devil" attrocities in china. Nobody comes out of it well. For an interesting (and probably mostly correct) overview of 19th century China this book is invaluable - as a biography of Tzu-Hsi it does not accomplish a great deal and you feel you know very little about the subject at the end of the book.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth!
Review: This book provided me with extreme insight as to the true history of Empress Tzu Shi. Everything that I learned about the Empress while growing up was discounted by this book, demonstrating the inaccurateness and biasness of history towards women with power. Mr.Sterling shed a great deal of light to all the "truth" I learned in the past. Very entertaining read if you're into the history of China.
Rating:
Summary: Justice for the Empress!
Review: This history flies in the face of the popular conception of Tzu Hsi, propagated by a cabal of British reporters & writers in China at the turn of the 20th century & seemingly swallowed hook, line & sinker by historians & the popular press for the next hundred years. Not having read these authors accounts of the supposed excesses in the behaviour of Empress Tzu Hsi, I can only comment on Seagrave's version of events. The life story of the Empress is a fascinating one, worthy of the telling, & the sources of Seagrave's research stand up to fairly close examination. It is a detailed history spreading through the eight decades of her life, so if you pick up this book because you enjoyed the movie "55 days at Peking" (as I did) then you are in for a disappointment. The Seige of the Legations was apparantly something of a sham with the principle Chinese general, charged with the of taking the Legations, spending a fair amount of his afforts giving assistance & succour to the defenders rather than bringing about their downfall. I was left with a somewhat pitiable final impression of Tzu Hsi that I feel has a significant parallel with the fate of her country during her lifetime. Never a prime mover of events she, like China, was much more a victim of Manchu intrigue & obsolescence & European duplicity & greed. This book however, is extremely well written & not at all dry. The content, presentation & opinion is first class & I really enjoyed the read.
Rating:
Summary: Justice for the Empress!
Review: This history flies in the face of the popular conception of Tzu Hsi, propagated by a cabal of British reporters & writers in China at the turn of the 20th century & seemingly swallowed hook, line & sinker by historians & the popular press for the next hundred years. Not having read these authors accounts of the supposed excesses in the behaviour of Empress Tzu Hsi, I can only comment on Seagrave's version of events. The life story of the Empress is a fascinating one, worthy of the telling, & the sources of Seagrave's research stand up to fairly close examination. It is a detailed history spreading through the eight decades of her life, so if you pick up this book because you enjoyed the movie "55 days at Peking" (as I did) then you are in for a disappointment. The Seige of the Legations was apparantly something of a sham with the principle Chinese general, charged with the of taking the Legations, spending a fair amount of his afforts giving assistance & succour to the defenders rather than bringing about their downfall. I was left with a somewhat pitiable final impression of Tzu Hsi that I feel has a significant parallel with the fate of her country during her lifetime. Never a prime mover of events she, like China, was much more a victim of Manchu intrigue & obsolescence & European duplicity & greed. This book however, is extremely well written & not at all dry. The content, presentation & opinion is first class & I really enjoyed the read.
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