![]() ![]() ![]() She treats the historical story with great but not slavish respect, striking a reasonable balance between accuracy and narrative punch. She fended off scheming rivals and greatly influenced the young emperors, encouraging a greater tolerance between Machu, Mongols, and Han.Īuthor Alice Poon obviously loves her characters and Chinese history. Her son, Fulin, would become the Shunzhi Emperor, and her grandson Xuanye would ascend the throne as the Kangxi Emperor at the age of thirteen, going on to become one of China’s greatest ever rulers.īumbutai – as Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang during the reigns of her son and grandson respectively – was no passive bystander. While there’s sadness in true love being only partially fulfilled, the sacrifice is worthwhile considering Bumbutai’s positive stamp on history. However, in a theme running throughout the novel, it’s duty over love, the greater good of one’s people over personal happiness – well, most of the time. The marriage is a forced one for she loves Prince Dorgon, the half-brother of Hong Taiji. ![]() In 1625 twelve-year-old Mongol Princess Bumbutai becomes a consort of Hong Taiji, soon to be the second emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty. Taking us from the Mongolian steppes to China’s imperial court, The Green Phoenix is an epic historical novel chronicling the life of a remarkable woman who shaped the founding decades of the Qing dynasty. ![]()
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