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My initial impression was that Jung Chang's presentation of Cixi was uncritical. However, as she began to describe actions of Cixi that were unflattering, it made her book more credible.
While she did have significant power, it appears to have been more power of influence or persuasion, not absolute power. I was struck by Jung Chang's observation that she would never enter the Forbidden Palace by the front gate - that she was very aware that there were limits on what she could do.
It would be interesting to compare Cixi's career with that of others in somewhat similiar circumstances, like Catherine the Great, Marie de' Medici or Isabella of France. I have Robert Massie's biography of Catherine on my TBR; I'm planning on moving that up on my reading queue.
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