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With the Empress Dowager of China

With the Empress Dowager of China

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Genre(s): ,

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Number of Chapters: 36

Length: 07 hours and 56 minutes

Language: English

Through the eyes of an artist, With the Empress Dowager of China provides a glimpse of life in the Chinese Imperial Court, unseen by any other Westerner. In 1903, Katharine Carl, an American artist, was invited to paint a portrait of Cixi, the Empress Dowager of China, for display at the 1904 Exhibition at St Louis, USA. For nine months from the 5th of August 1903 when the painting was begun, Miss Carl lived within the Chinese Imperial Court, residing at the Summer Palace, Winter Palace and Sea Palace. During those nine months, a total of four portraits of the Empress Dowager were completed. While living in the Chinese Imperial Court, Miss Carl had the opportunity to observe the customs, personalities, entertainments and politics of the Royal household, and in particular to observe the Empress Dowager, who Miss Carl found to be graceful, warm, intelligent and generous.

Although Katharine Carl did not plan to publicise her experiences, With the Empress Dowager of China was written as a response to articles appearing in the American and British press containing statements never made by her and other misrepresentations. Words were being put into her mouth, she was being put into a very difficult position, and corrections needed to be made. By writing an account of life in the Imperial Court she risked “offending the sensibilities of her Chinese friends” since any comments on the personalities of the Emperor or Empress Dowager were considered to breaches of etiquette. Nevertheless, she did publish “a simple and truthful narrative of my experiences” in 1906.

For most of the time from 1861 until her death in 1908, Cixi, the Empress Dowager of China, was co-regent or regent, and was in control of the Chinese government, due to the youth and inexperience of the Emperors during those years as well as to her capabilities. Her legacy is controversial, and she is viewed variously as a despot, a reformer, and a capable and gracious ruler and administrator.

Katharine Carl’s St Louis Exposition portrait of the Empress Dowager of China resides in the collection of the Arthur M Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. (summary by Gail Timmerman-Vaughan)

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Introductory (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter I. My presentation and first day at the Chinese court (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter II. Personal appearance of Her Majesty -- A Chinese repast -- Boating (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter III. The palace of the Emperor's Father (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter IV. Her Majesty's throne-room (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter V. The young Empress and ladies of the court (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter VI. Continuation of the portrait (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter VII. Festivities at court (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter VIII. His Majesty the Emperor (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter IX. The Emperor's birthday (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter X. Peking -- the Sea Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XI. Some characteristics of Her Majesty -- second visit to the Sea Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XII. Return to the Summer Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XIII. The steam-launch -- semi-annual sacrifices to Confucius (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XIV. The palace eunuchs (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XV. Literary tastes and accomplishments of the Empress Dowager (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XVI. The Great Audience Hall (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XVII. The Summer Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XVIII. Festival of the Harvest Moon (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XIX. A Garden Party (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XX. Beginning of a second portrait of the Empress Dowager (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXI. A European circus at the palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXII. Palace customs (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXIII. Her Majesty's anxiety -- her birthday (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXIV. The Winter Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXV. Peking -- beginning the portrait for St. Louis (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXVI. Some social customs (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXVII. Present-giving (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXVIII. Some winter days at the palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXIX. Religious rites (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXX. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXXI. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager (continued) (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXXII. The Chinese New Year (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXXIII. Continuation of the St. Louis portrait (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXXIV. Finishing and sending off the portrait (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
Chapter XXXV. Return to the Summer Palace (Gail Timmerman Vaughan)
The audiobook With the Empress Dowager of China falls under the genres of , . It is written by .