Anchee Min

Anchee Min is a Chinese-American author whose novels and memoirs draw on her extraordinary life story and deep knowledge of Chinese history and culture. Born in Shanghai in 1957, she was sent to a labour collective during the Cultural Revolution before being recruited to work at the Shanghai Film Studio. She emigrated to the United States in 1984 with the help of actress Joan Chen. Empress Orchid is a vivid historical novel that reimagines the life of Tzu Hsi, the last empress of China, from her arrival at the Forbidden City as a young concubine to her rise to supreme power. Min's writing brings 19th-century China to life with sensory richness and emotional depth. Her audiobooks and books offer listeners a captivating window into Chinese history through the eyes of one of its most fascinating and controversial figures.