I just finished a book on Empress Dowager Cixi, in China, and my feelings are hard to describe.
First of all, I will say that it's a fascinating glimpse at a time in history that I, at least, did not know very well. I've come to treasure books that help explain the transition from an older world to our new modern one. That's part of the appeal of The Devil in the White City, though in an entirely different way.
The Empress Dowager was a pretty impressive leader, and her story leaves me with far too many lingering questions about 'what if?'
What if she had not died when she did? What if she ushered in the changes she was promoting, first?
What if she had been able to lead in her own right, instead of through her sons?
What if she had found a successor who matched her capabilities?
Plus - how crazy is it, that she was judged so harshly by history? At least initially. Would you be capable of doing all that she did, knowing you would be judged poorly at the end of it?
I mentioned the Great Man theory in the title, and Empress Cixi reminds me of that, as well. Would China have fallen earlier, if she hadn't taken the reins of power? Did she change the course of history? Or was it all somewhat inevitable. After all, if she did make a difference she only postponed the fall of the Qing dynasty.
Overall, an excellent read. I know we Americans are terrible at history, but it's nice to have some more context for the Opium Wars, the history leading to Hong Kong and Shanghai, what relations with Tibet were like back in Cixi's time...
I also thought it helped explain some of China's territorial claims, as well as it's historical relationship with 'client states' like Vietnam and Korea.
First of all, I will say that it's a fascinating glimpse at a time in history that I, at least, did not know very well. I've come to treasure books that help explain the transition from an older world to our new modern one. That's part of the appeal of The Devil in the White City, though in an entirely different way.
The Empress Dowager was a pretty impressive leader, and her story leaves me with far too many lingering questions about 'what if?'
What if she had not died when she did? What if she ushered in the changes she was promoting, first?
What if she had been able to lead in her own right, instead of through her sons?
What if she had found a successor who matched her capabilities?
Plus - how crazy is it, that she was judged so harshly by history? At least initially. Would you be capable of doing all that she did, knowing you would be judged poorly at the end of it?
I mentioned the Great Man theory in the title, and Empress Cixi reminds me of that, as well. Would China have fallen earlier, if she hadn't taken the reins of power? Did she change the course of history? Or was it all somewhat inevitable. After all, if she did make a difference she only postponed the fall of the Qing dynasty.
Overall, an excellent read. I know we Americans are terrible at history, but it's nice to have some more context for the Opium Wars, the history leading to Hong Kong and Shanghai, what relations with Tibet were like back in Cixi's time...
I also thought it helped explain some of China's territorial claims, as well as it's historical relationship with 'client states' like Vietnam and Korea.
No comments:
Post a Comment