Yang Kuei-fei: The Most Famous Beauty of China

Yang Kuei-fei was the favourite concubine of the Tang emperor, Ming Huang. With her amazing beauty and artfulness, she dominated both the emperor and his court for nearly twenty years. She was blamed by many for the increasing extravagance and corruption which eventually led to the downfall of Ming Huang, and for this she paid dearly, with her life. The imperial troops revolted, demanding the death of Yang Kuei-fei before they would fight for their emperor against the invading Tartars. Yang Kuei-fei has been immortalised on the Chinese stage and in Chinese literature. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the only full-length book written in English on this famous Chinese heroine. In addition to being a sensitive portrayal of her relationship with the emperor - her ascendancy, dominance and downfall - the book also throws many interesting sidelights upon the role of women and the elegance of court life in China during the eighth century when the Tang dynasty was at the height of its prosperity.