Empresses Quotes

The priest had come to the Empress to complain about the debauchery of her Prime Minister and made the error of describing him as the first man of the empire. The story may be apocryphal but it illustrates the character of the Empress. The source of the exact words are given in the historical novel, Luise Muhlbach, Joseph II. and His Court

During her adult life, she was the de facto ruler of China. This quotation is very important because it gives us an important insight into Chinese motives and historical drivers. The first reason is something almost all countries and cultures can identify with, but the second--to avoid being looked down—was just as important. Americans are relatively uncaring what the citizens of other countries think about them, but the Chinese do. So do other nationalities and cultures like the Arabs, the Iranians, many of the South American cultures. Often it takes on a different world like “dignity” or “respect”.

During her adult life, she was the de facto, all powerful ruler of China. This is one of the very rare times in history that an absolute ruler, issued an official document showing their errors and mistakes with respect to some government policies. To some, this is an indicator of how powerful a hold that she had on the empire, that she could afford to do this with no fear for her prestige and power. To others it was an example of honest acceptance of responsility.