Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of The Only Woman to Become Emperor of China [Hardcover]

Nigel Cawthorne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2007

Daughter of Heaven is the sensational true story of the only woman ever to rule China. She seduced her way to the throne of the most powerful empire in the world, she executed her enemies without mercy, and even murdered her own children for political gain, and she held a ruthless reign of terror for over fifty years. A gripping story of China's Cleopatra: a story of murder, sex, love, power, and revenge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nigel Cawthorne lives in London, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld; 1St Edition edition (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851685308
• ISBN-13: 978-1851685301
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,301,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This author seems unwilling to think for himself, July 4, 2009

By 

Sara Petersen (Vancouver, Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of The Only Woman to Become Emperor of China (Hardcover)

Although I have never been what you could call a raging feminist, I was offended by the sexism apparent in this novel. In some places, Wu Chao appeared to commit sins in the eyes of the author simply due to her gender, which is what the official Chinese history vilifies her for; after all, she dared to do things no woman had done before. Once, after describing the huge bureaucracy in the Forbidden City, the author then stated that it "would all fall into the hands of just one woman, Wu Chao." As opposed to the hands of just one man, her husband? Furthermore, is any bureaucracy ever really under the control of just one person?

I was also disappointed in that the author in several places, in describing an event, would describe likely alternative reasons or scenarios, and then invariably conclude by laying the most evil and sensational reason at Wu Chao's door. In one place, where he is describing the system of new characters she invents, he says that "chillingly, the character for 'moon' was a swastika." Why was this chilling? This was 660 A.D.! A swastika was used for centuries before the Nazis vilified it forever as the symbol of the Holocaust. It was perfectly innocent in Wu Chao's time. The author does not seem to be able to resist throwing in these sensationalistic touches.

However, when he stays away from Wu Chao's personal character (and a surprising amount of the time he does and it's not actually irritating), his scholarship on ancient China is remarkable. I have never encountered anywhere such detailed information on how the Forbidden City was laid out, how concubines were prepared for the Emperor, and how the Emperor interacted with them. For a scholar of ancient China, this is a worthy read in that right. But I have read other books on Wu Chao, or "Heavenlight", as her given name translates, and I intend to read more. I don't think this book tells the whole story, despite its title. Try "Empress", by Sa Shan.

At the time I wrote this review, I had not read the other books I mentioned. "Empress" by Sa Shan is just as biased as this book, just in the other way. Read "Wu: The Woman Who Schemed, Seduced, and Murdered Her Way to Become a Living God" by Jonathan Clements for a truly balanced view. It is the best of the bunch.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Controversial Personality of the Only Reigning Empress of China, February 23, 2009

By 

Serge J. Van Steenkiste (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of The Only Woman to Become Emperor of China (Hardcover)

Nigel Cawthorne does a satisfactory job in depicting the rise and fall of Wu Chao, the only woman who became a reigning empress in the history of the Middle Kingdom. Cawthorne sometimes loses his audience by giving too much detail during his telling of side stories. The readability of "Daughter of Heaven" would definitely benefit from the reproduction of select family trees for the different imperial dynasties such as the Sui and the T'ang. The presence of multiple concubines who bore children to different emperors does not make it easy for the audience to keep track of who is who around Wu Chao. The appendix called "Dramatis personae" is of limited use to readers who are not very familiar with the history of Imperial China. Furthermore, the only map of China that is reproduced at the beginning of Cawthorne's book is so general that it is close to useless. High-level maps of Chinese cities such as Chang'an and Luonyang would definitely help readers better appreciate the topographies of these cities. A picture is often worth 1,000 words. To summarize, "Daughter of Heaven" runs the risk of alienating a wide audience due to a sub-optimal use of maps and graphs and the presence of too many detours of limited value in the narrative.

0 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An erotic book about the act of love., October 21, 2008

By 

Romoto (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of The Only Woman to Become Emperor of China (Hardcover)

If you've ever wondered how the ancient Chinese did "it" this is the book for you. It goes deeper into the act love than most of the books that explain how it was done long ago to contribute to one's longevity. Yes, the act of love is necessary for a long, healthy life. If you want to review another book about this, look for "Secrets of the Wedding Night" on Amazon.com. It will knock your socks off! Good luck and have a happy and healthy life with your most significant other!