My Splendid Concubine is a love story. " ...those who are interested in unconventional romances with an out-of-the-ordinary setting will find plenty to enjoy." - Historical Novels Review No Westerner has ever achieved Robert Hart's status and level of power in China. During the nineteenth century, driven by a passion for his adopted country, Hart became the "godfather of China's modernism," inspector general of China's Customs Service, and the builder of China's railroads, postal and telegraph systems, and schools, but his first real love is Ayaou, a young concubine. "If even half of Lofthouse's narrative is true, it's a stunning work that enmeshes imperialism, modernity, miscegenation and plain old desire in a sweaty matrix of destruction and painful birth." - City Weekend Magazine Since Robert Hart accomplished so much for China during the nineteenth century, why did the Chinese Communists erase him from their history books, and why did The Beijing Youth Daily newspaper, controlled by the Communist Youth League, write the only negative review? The returnable discount is limited to four books from each book store.