# With the Empress Dowager of China — Character guide

> Key figures in With the Empress Dowager of China by Katharine A. Carl.

- [Empress Dowager Tze-Hsi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/empress_dowager_tze_hsi.md): She governs an empire while quoting classics from memory with her favorite daughter-in-law, her literary gifts as sharp as her political instinct. Courtiers call her the Old Buddha, investing her with sacred authority sh
- [Katherine A. Carl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/katherine_a_carl.md): Invited by Mrs. Conger to paint the Empress Dowager for the St. Louis Exposition, she arrives knowing nothing of court protocol and everything to lose. Her position is precarious: a foreign woman with a brush, dependent 
- [Emperor Kwang-Hsu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/emperor_kwang_hsu.md): He occupies the throne but not the power, a young man whose minority was steered by two Empresses and whose adulthood has not freed him from the older one's grip. Where Tze-Hsi commands a room, he recedes from it, and th
- [Mrs. Conger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/mrs_conger.md): It is Mrs. Conger's letter to Shanghai that sets the whole enterprise in motion, and her hope that a true likeness might soften America's image of the Empress. She has seen enough of the court to know its rituals and eno
- [Lady Yu-Keng](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/lady_yu_keng.md): The Yu-Kengs belong to the small circle of Manchu women who attend the Empress, share her pastimes, and absorb her moods without ever contradicting her. Their standing depends on her favor, distributed with a care that k
- [Prince Ch'un](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/prince_chun.md): The Emperor's father, a prince of the seventh rank, whose palace is described in the book.
- [Prince Ching](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/prince_ching.md): A high-ranking Manchu prince and official at the Chinese court.
- [Grand Secretary Yung Lu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/grand_secretary_yung_lu.md): A powerful Grand Secretary and trusted advisor to the Empress Dowager.
- [Sir Robert Hart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/sir_robert_hart.md): The British Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Customs, a notable foreign figure.
- [Late Emperor Tung-Chih](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/late_emperor_tung_chih.md): The deceased predecessor of Kwang-Hsu, mentioned in historical context.
- [Emperor Hsien-Feng](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/emperor_hsien_feng.md): The late husband of the Empress Dowager, a historical figure referenced in the narrative.
- [Wang](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/wang.md): A servant or attendant in the palace, mentioned by name in the narrative.
- [Hailo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/hailo.md): A person mentioned in the narrative, possibly a servant or minor court figure.
- [Young Prince Adalbert of Prussia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/young_prince_adalbert.md): A visiting German prince who appears at a court function.
- [Confucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/confucius.md): The ancient Chinese philosopher, referenced in relation to sacrifices and literary traditions.
- [Buddha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/buddha.md): The religious figure, mentioned in the context of Chinese religious rites.
- [Kang-Yu-Wei](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/kang_yu_wei.md): A reformer mentioned critically in the narrative, associated with political events.
- [Whar-Mou-Lahn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/whar_mou_lahn.md): A legendary Chinese female warrior, referenced as a historical example.
- [Sih-Gerga](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters/sih_gerga.md): A person mentioned in the narrative, possibly a servant or minor character.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/with_the_empress_dowager_of_china_se/characters