The Empress in the Pepper Chamber

Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction

By: Olivia Milburn

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Paperback | 13 May 2021

At a Glance

Paperback
234 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
15.2 x 22.8 x 1.7

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$73.75

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Zhao Feiyan (45-1 BCE), the second empress appointed by Emperor Cheng of the Han dynasty (207 BCE-220 CE), was born in slavery and trained in the performing arts, a background that made her appointment as empress highly controversial. Subsequent persecution by her political enemies eventually led to her being forced to commit suicide. After her death, her reputation was marred by accusations of vicious scheming, murder of other consorts and their offspring, and relentless promiscuity, punctuated by bouts of extravagant shopping.

This first book-length study of Zhao Feiyan and her literary legacy includes a complete translation of The Scandalous Tale of Zhao Feiyan (Zhao Feiyan waizhuan), a Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) erotic novella that describes in great detail the decadent lifestyle enjoyed by imperial favorites in the harem of Emperor Cheng. This landmark text was crucial for establishing writings about palace women as the accepted forum for discussing sexual matters, including fetishism, obsession, jealousy, incompatibility in marriage, and so on. Using historical documentation, Olivia Milburn reconstructs the evolution of Zhao Feiyan's story and illuminates the broader context of palace life for women and the novella's social influence.

Industry Reviews

"Close reading and interpretation of the language of the tale is one of The Empress in the Pepper Chamber's greatest accomplishments, which allow Milburn to carry out the most definitive proof yet of the dating of Zhao Feiyan waizhuan...The fine distinctions Milburn makes in her examination of language and objects of material culture are examples of topnotch scholarship."

* Nan Nu: Men, Women and Gender in China *

"In this slim volume, Olivia Milburn introduces an important "alternative history" of one of the most fascinating women in Chinese history...The Empress in the Pepper Chamber is a tremendous contribution to the field."

* Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) *

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