As a girl, she ended up in the palace of the Chinese emperor. Intelligence, energy, and extraordinary fortitude brought the concubine to the imperial throne. The novel focuses on the life and reign of a Chinese empress from the Tang Dynasty (7th century AD). She ruled the Celestial Empire for many years and became the first woman to receive permission to participate in the highest religious ceremonies. In the novel, written from the perspective of the heroine, a lot of space is devoted to scenes from the life of the palace and the customs of that distant era, the customs of the Forbidden City and its rulers are described in detail. The French writer of Chinese origin Shan Sa magically connected the east and the west. In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Goncourt Lyceum Prize.