The Book Depository Twilight in the Forbidden City by Reginald Fleming Johnston
99 ratings
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Price: £19.22
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: Twilight in the Forbidden City : Paperback : Soul Care Publishing : 9780968045954 : 0968045952 : 30 Mar 2008. The Book Depository Twilight in the Forbidden City by Reginald Fleming Johnston - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780968045954
MPN: 0968045952
GTIN: 9780968045954
Author: Freda
Rating: 5
Review: The book is in great condition and Anne wrote a lovely note for me on the receipt. Can't believe I got the book at this price.
Author: Wanderer
Rating: 2
Review: This is a personal account of pivotal events in world history, and as such is worth reading. However, Johnston's interpretations of political events, especially concerning the Empress Dowager Cixi are deeply flawed. Anyone wishing to understand the events of this era is cautioned that Johnston's impressions reflect the propaganda of the time, and are divorced from the facts that we are able to objectively confirm with benefit of hindsight. For example, K'ang, the dissident republican that Johnston seems to revere was later shown to be in collision with the Japanese. For years, he engaged in assasination plots against Cixi and worked to help the Japanese conquer China in order to further his own ends. This is just one of many examples where Johnston's first-person perspective can lead to a misunderstanding of history if not balanced against other, more objective accounts of these times. Overall, the book reads like a conversation one might have with an opinionated yet amiable drinking companion, but as an eye witness account of momentous events, Johnston's tale is a legitimately valuable contribution to the historic record.
