This is a fascinating look into Imperial China. Orchid (Tzu His) was born in 1835 to a father who was a regional governor and passed away when she was 17. Thrust into poverty she is selected to become one of the Emperor's many concubines. Producing the first male heir, she experiences the attention of the Emperor, the rivalry among his wives, the politics of the Imperial court, loyalty, betrayal, murder, slavery and absolute loneliness. When the emperor dies when his son is five, she must fight to maintain her position and secure his future. Stunning descriptions of the surroundings, palace life and the isolation of royal life.
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