See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.


Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China
 
See larger image
 

Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Paperback)

by Sterling Seagrave (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


8 used from £15.84
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 11 used & new from £12.10
Unknown Binding Order it used

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
The Last Dragon
   www.lovefilm.com    Rent DVDs from £3.91 a month, free trial, no late fees, free postage! 
Legend Of The Dragon
   www.littlewoods.com    Buy Legend Of The Dragon Games Online At Littlewoods. Shop Now! 
Compare Book Prices:
   www.BooksPrice.co.uk    The Last Empress, Anchee Min Find the Lowest Price! 
  
 

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Last Emperor [DVD] [1988]

The Last Emperor [DVD] [1988]

DVD ~ John Lone
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.68
The Last Empress

The Last Empress

by Anchee Min
4.0 out of 5 stars (13)  £6.39
The Last Empress: The She-dragon of China

The Last Empress: The She-dragon of China

by Keith Laidler
2.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.19
Imperial Woman (Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck)

Imperial Woman (Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck)

by Pearl S. Buck
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £8.09
Old Buddha

Old Buddha

by Princess Der Ling
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 624 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Books; Vintage Books ed edition (1 Jan 1920)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0679733698
  • ISBN-13: 978-0679733690
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 552,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review
"An all-out revisionist assault on the established perception of Tzu Hsi...Seagrave provides as sad and outrageous a record of imperialism as can be found anywhere in the world."
--The San Francisco Chronicle

Synopsis
Reappraises the Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi and portrays a strong, complex woman struggling to keep her country from unraveling.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
china
royalty
chinese historical novel
tzu hsi
sterling seagrave
seagrave
erotic
cixi
ancient china

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China
55% buy the item featured on this page:
Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
The Last Empress
15% buy
The Last Empress 4.0 out of 5 stars (13)
£6.39
Empress Orchid
13% buy
Empress Orchid 4.1 out of 5 stars (65)
£5.40
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
9% buy
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 4.5 out of 5 stars (33)
£4.79

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Readable and Immensely Interesting Book, 20 Nov 2008
By Dr. R. Brandon (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This remarkable book chronicles the full life of Lady Yehenara, a concubine chosen for the Ching (Manchu) Emperor of China Hsien Feng, who survived the many upheavals in the dying days of the dynasty to become the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, the Dragon Empress. Seagrave writes with an easy style to explain the many rules and customs practised by the Imperial Court and paints a vivid picture of life in the Forbidden City. The subtitle of this book refers to the 'Life and Legend' of the last Empress and the author carefully unpicks the misinformation and outright untruths that have been published about the Empress in leading Western newspapers and books over a period of many years, most of this false information having been produced by Edmund Backhouse, a China resident at the time, and uncritically regurgitated by countless authors up to relatively recent times.
The writer carefully takes the reader through the palace intrigues, the disaster of the Western invasion of Beijing in 1860, the death of Emperor Hsien Feng, the promotion of Lady Yehenara's natural son to be Emperor Tung Chih and the consequential increase in power that accrued to Tzu Hsi. The possible murder of the Emperor in 1875, the resulting succession crisis and the establishment of Emperor Kuang Hsu and the pivotal role of Tzu Hsi in these changes are retold very well. The treatment of the Boxer Rebellion and the Siege of Peking in 1900 is certainly the best that I have read, and quite superior to other books available dedicated to this subject. Again Seagrave convincingly debunks much of the mythmaking that was generated to cover Allied atrocities and grave acts of vandalism such as the burning of the priceless Hanlin Library.
This is a very readable, immensely interesting and well constructed book of great scholarship and an invaluable antidote to much silliness written about the Dragon Empress which I have no hesitation in recommending to those interested in the subject. (English Macmillan hardback edition.)
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Evil Empress Dowager is a myth, 29 May 2009
By Mr. Leong Wai Hong (Malaysia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As at May 2009 this is still the latest substantial biography on the Empress Dowager. Sterling Seagrave in this very thoroughly-researched biography of the Empress Dowager has presented compelling evidence that the traditional view that the Dowager was all powerful and evil was based on false facts mainly concocted by Sir Edmund Backhouse. The evidence he presented was that the Dowager was powerless and surrounded by powerful men who had their own agenda and aims.

The strength of this book is that it is not confined to the life of the Dowager. This is understandable as so little is known of her life. We do not even know her name. When she became Empress Dowager, she was known by the title Tzu Hsi, meaning Empress of the West, because she lived in pavilions on the west side of the Forbidden City. (see p18-19 )


This book also described the events of Manchu China from the two infamous Opium Wars carried out by the English to the Boxer Rebellion/ Uprising (a misnomer as there was no rebellion/ uprising. The Boxers' aim was to exterminate all Chinese Christians and the foreign missionaries and not to overthrow the Manchu Empire).

This book also described in detail the lives of Sir Robert Hart and Dr George Ernest Morrison in China. Hart came to China age 19. He was an Irishman who loved China. He rose to become a trusted confidant of the Manchu court and was the Inspector General of Chinese Customs from 1861 age 26 till 1908 age 73 when he finally decided to leave China forever. He died in England in 1911 while preparing to return to China to finish his life in his beloved China. (See pages 146, 419 and 453). Dr Morrison was the correspondent for the Times of London.



Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting..., 17 Feb 2007
By Chocoholic (Australia) - See all my reviews
I really enjoyed this book. I have read a few books on Tzu Hsi and it was really interesting to read a view that counteracts the current beliefs on the Dowager. The author does a good job of dispelling the myths and backing up his arguments. I highly recommend this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Dragon of Heaven

Dragon of Heaven

Cixi, best known as the Empress Dowager, is one of only three women to... Read more
£15.99

Find similar items

 

More From Sterling Seagrave

The Soong Dynasty

The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave

The Soong Dynasty is the first full behind-the-scenes account of the... Read more

 

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates