THAT CHINESE WOMAN

by Henry McAleavy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1959

That Chinese woman, born into a devout Buddhist family during the troubled nineteenth century, was a creature of unique physical charm. Doted upon by her family for her oval face and her tiny crescent feet, she was from a very early age unabashed at using her attributes to please and captivate affluent gentlemen. Led by a deception into a life of mannerly prostitution, Sai-chin-hua early became the second wife of a Chinese dignitary with whom, when he was appointed ambassador to Europe, she travelled. A liaison contracted there later had momentous ramifications, and during the Boxer rebellion, as the adored istress of the German Count Waldersee, she enjoyed full reign over the Imperial forbidden city. But this attachment was short lived and circumstances over and over again contrived to consign her to brothels of less and less distinction, circumstances in which she ultimately ended her life. An only moderately interesting recapitulation of the events in a less than significant life, this biography is fragmentary both in terms of the personal and historical insight it provides and leaves one wondering if but for the heroine's eanderings in and out of exotic pleasure houses this book would ever have been written.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1959

Categories: NONFICTION