The story of the infamous last empress of China, by the author of the best-selling Becoming Madame Mao It is the final days of the Chinese empire. Trade in opium with Europe is slowly corroding the power of the Ch’ing Dynasty. Orchid, a beautiful seventeen-year-old from an aristocratic but impoverished family, is pushed into the maelstrom when she finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become a low-ranking concubine of the emperor. 

          The Empress Orchid is the story of a fascinating, strong-willed woman who for generations has been vilified as a grand seductress and murder. Anchee Min draws a vivid portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman and, through her life, of the world of the Chinese court and the sexual and political lives of the royal concubines. Richly detailed and completely gripping, this is a novel of high drama and lyricism.