{"product_id":"empress-dowager-cixi-concubine-modern-china","title":"Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmpress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) rose from palace concubine to the de facto ruler of late Qing China. In Jung Chang’s sweeping biography, she emerges as a visionary stateswoman who guided a medieval empire into the modern age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst immense resistance, Cixi introduced railways, electricity, telegraph networks, and a modern army and navy. She abolished cruel punishments, banned foot-binding and championed early women’s rights. Her reforms reshaped China’s social and political landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFacing the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions, wars with France and Japan, and the invasion of eight foreign powers, the Empress Dowager navigated diplomatic crises and internal upheaval with tactical acumen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on newly uncovered Chinese court records, letters and diaries, this biography overturns myths of Cixi as a reactionary despot. It offers a vivid portrait of her private world in the Forbidden City and the dramatic events that marked the birth of modern China.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eKey Highlights\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eModernization of industry and infrastructure\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbolition of foot-binding and brutal punishments\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInsider view of palace intrigue and diplomacy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Just Great Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45711510307050,"sku":"JGB-US2-4-Stack16-14-0224087444-0","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0647\/1735\/7290\/files\/91UFUnvsuPL.jpg?v=1763024841","url":"https:\/\/justgreatbooks.org\/products\/empress-dowager-cixi-concubine-modern-china","provider":"Just Great Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}