Jung Chang presents a riveting biography of Empress Dowager Cixi, the woman who ruled China through times of immense change. Selected as a concubine at the tender age of sixteen, Cixi defied expectations by orchestrating a coup that established her as China's de facto ruler. Chang offers an intimate look into the Forbidden City and Cixi's revolutionary reforms, from abolishing medieval tortures and foot-binding to modernizing the nation with industries and railways. Dispelling misconceptions, Jung Chang portrays Cixi as a visionary who masterminded the transformation of China into a modern state, championed women's liberation, and grappled with internal rebellions and foreign invasions. Based on groundbreaking research and historical records, this biography paints a panoramic view of a crucial period in history, and of Cixi, a ruler with the heart of a lioness, grappling with the daunting task of leading a vast empire into a new era.