Marina Warners The Dragon Empress Essay -- Marina Warner The Dragon E

Marina Warners The Dragon Empress At the age of sixteen, the beautiful and elegant Tzu-hsi entered the Forbidden City in Peking. The daunting walls, enormous buildings and massive pillars loomed just about her as she walked deeper and deeper into its confines. She entered the palace as a timid young girl, precisely it was from within these walls that she would keep her claws around all of China. Marina Warner describes the life of this ruthless beldam in The Dragon Empress, an essential read for understanding Chinese finale during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Tzu-hsi, also known as the empress dowager, command all of China from 1861 to 1908. It is amazing that a woman ruled over 400 million the great unwashed during this time. She began as a courtesan in the emperors court, but after bearing a staminate heir she quickly gained business leader. After the death of the emperor and the death of her son, Tzu-hsi prescribed her nephew to the thro ne. She quickly became dissatisfied with him, however, and took all the power for herself. Tzu-hsi hated the outside powers who were work up China for themselves, so she encouraged the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxers attacked foreigners in an attempt to get them to leave. Tzu-hsi also tried to keep China conventional and hated modernization. She was a very powerful and cunning woman who manipulated those around her. The curb begins with the line of descent of Tzu-hsi in 1835 and goes on to explain her family situation. It describes her path to power and how she manipulated the eunuchs in the palace to act as her spies and personal confidants. From the circumstances of her birth to her fatal fight with dysentery, Tzu-hsis life is described in bully detail within the... ...cited, so it is a great tool in understanding Tzu-hsi. However, I would have believed Marina more if she cited personal accounts of Chinese people who lived during Tzu-hsis time. I would like t o know how the people of China truly felt, and if it is how Marina describes it. Despite any inherent weaknesses in the book, Marina Warner has done an incredible bloodline bringing the story of Tzu-hsi and a vivid image of China to the world. The photographs that she set(p) in this book depict court life and compliment the book well. Marinas mastery of words allows her to paint the scenes of Tzu-hsis life. I extremely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in discovering the intimate details of Tzu-hsis life, her road to power, and China at the turn of the century. Works CitedWarner, Marina. The Dragon Empress. refreshful York Atheneum, 1986.