The Reign of the Concubine

She was the ruthless “dragon lady” that subjected the last regents of the Dragon Throne to becoming her marionettes. The emperor’s widow Cixi was one of the most powerful women in Chinese history. She came to the Forbidden City as a young concubine in 1850, soon winning the favor of the Chinese emperor and becoming the empire’s most important woman. Cixi lead China’s destiny for almost fifty years, but was unable to stop the tides of change that would bring down the great Chinese Empire.