Xinjiang, named in 1759 by Emperor Qianlong (乾隆 1711-1799) of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China, was ruled by the Qing from the final phase of the Dzungar-Qing Wars when the Dzungar Khanate was conquered, and lasted until the fall of the imperial dynasty in 1912. Based on rare ancient maps and historical archives, the book tells stories of Xinjiang during the Qing. It involves Emperor Qianlong, Fragrant concubine (xiangfei 香妃, Uyghur concubine married with Emperor Qianlong), Lady Catherine (the wife of the British consul-general in Kashgar at the end of the 19th century, and lived in Xinjiang for nearly two decades), Swedish missionaries (persisted in spreading Christianity for 38 years among Uyghurs who believed in Islam), Guan Gong temples (the belief in Lord Guan, a religious tradition of the Han and Manchus) and so on.

Translated by: Lewis James Wright