New-York tribune., 1910-12-10
"THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN"
Tzu Hsi from the Chinese Point
of View.

CHINA UNDER THE EMPRESS DOW
AGER. Being the History of the Life
and Times OF TZu Hsi. Compied from
the Comptroller of Her Household Rv
J .. P Bland and E. Backhouse. IL
mastrated, Svo. PIP. xv, 525, Philadelphia
Ihe j. B. Iippincott Company
The great merit of this book is that II
attempts from first to last 10 place the
period of Chinese history and it's central
figure, with which it deals in a Chinese
light, TO judge and estimate by Chinese,
not Western standards. The result is
both enlightening and bewildering; the
authors themselves admit frankly that
the Chinese point of view often puzzles
themselves, but they always manage to
illustrate the puzzle by quotation from
Chinese memorials or state papers, or a
reference to precedent, that strongest of
all Chinese springs of action On its
historical side their book is of decided
value. especially in its explanation of
the importance of the role played by
Tzu Hsi's cousin Jung Lu in the great
events Of her reign, and in its exonera-
tion of Ii Hung Chang, upon whom has
been loaded the full responsibility for
the japanese war. which he sought to
avoid. 1t also throws a strong light
upon the peculiar difficulties that beset
! Western diplomacy in China. partly be-
cause, according to the authors, that
diplomacy suspects that of China Of
depths of tortuousness which in reality
are not there.
OF wider interest however is their
biography Of the Empress Dowager that
forms the kernel of the book. They
begin by dispelling the romances of
early destitution and degrad ding circum-
stances that have grown Up around her,
malicious gossip spread by envious clans
in an imperial family whose genealogi-
cal feuds are beyond Occidental unravel-
ling. The Empress Dowager was a
daughter of the noble house Of Yehon-
ala, one of the oldest OF the Manchu
clans, which had already furnished a
consort to the real founder Of the Man
chu dynasty in China. She was care
fully educated by an uncle and selected
as a concubine of the third class for the
Emperor Hsien-Feng on his accession to
the throne, to whom she bore a son, the
heir to the throne. early in 1856. Her
imperial husbands health breaking
down completely shortly afterward, she,
as mother Of the heir apparent but
still more by strength of viii and inf1u-
ence over the failing Hsien-Feng, be-
came the power behind the throne. This
was the beginning of her long and re-
markable career.
The character study of this historic
woman given by the authors differs far
from the sketches drawn Of her by ssY-
eral ladies CT Occidental legations at Pc
king. She was q great woman, if am
bition. love of power and the strength
OF will to crafty them alone cen consti
tute greatness: Her patriotism was that
Of the isolation CT the Forbidden City;
so WAS her knowledge of the worlds af-
fairs. After the Boxer rising the Chi
nese forgaye her their punishment be-
cause they admired her aspiration to
Gr i've the foreign devils into the sea. 3
better claim to greatness, from our point
OF view. was her recognition thereafter
Of China's need OF the reforms which
size IAfh d tt"-IIpt'b ~ ottlt- h'iiN fhiANH
what she desired: she never hestated as
to the means. Ruthless they were, Ori
entail in their swiftness and efficacy. yet,
when it served her turn, she did not
hesitate to break all Oriental religious,
sentimental and dynastic precedents.
She unhesitatingly resorted to assassina-
ton. but when her ends We're safely at
tanned she adopted policy of tolerance.
She realized that few victims were bet
ter than many. and that lives spared
often mean whole families OF friends
And 10 the Oriental mind opportune and
mysterious or openly violent deaths are
not what they are to us. AS the Syrian
merchant in Paris said in defence of
Salorne "a head cut off means so far
less to us than il does TO the West"
Tzu Hsi was licentious in her younger
wears. after the traditional RIGHTEOUSNESS
OF the Imperial Palace. Chinese court
scandal coupled her name with that of
jung Lu; but here, again, allowance
must be made for envious scandal
rnoneering she loved pleasure and dis
play, vet was thrifty. She had hei'
fayorites. like Catharine the Great, with
whom the authors compare her. The
chief eunuch Of her court, Ii Lien-Ching,
,lsurped an amount Of power and IN
dulged in familiarity Of speech with
her. that are a 1ost incrediable. lie was
the IN ster oi squeeze: but, then. Tzu
Hsi. avid Of wealth shared in the fabu-
Icus results Of his blackmail. She had
the wisdom of making constant show
cf impartiality between Manchus and
Chinese, and if, like Napoleon, with
whom, too. the authors compare her. file
was deeply superstitious. she had yet
strength of mind enough to defy super
stitioa first and conciliates IT afterward
hv Offering atoning rites for her Of