For an explanation of why the ending needs to be re-worked, here's a review where it was felt that the final book was written by a ghost writer after the author was kidnapped:
http://januarymagazine.com/SFF/chungkuo.html
Also, there's apparently some really brutal sex early on (I bought most of the books, but lost interest before even beginning to try to read them after reading some reviews / commentary)
William