The last emperors : a social history of Qing imperial institutions / Evelyn S. Rawski.

"Philip E. Lilienthal Asian studies imprint"--p. [4] of cover.

"Philip E. Lilienthal book"--p. facing t.p.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 393-442) and index.

The material culture of Qing court -- The court society -- The social organization of the Qing court: The conquest elite and the imperial lineage -- Sibling politics -- Imperial women -- Palace servants -- Qing court rituals: Rulership and ritual action in the Chinese realm -- Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism at court -- Private rituals -- Names of Qing emperors and the imperial ancestors -- Imperial princely ranks.

The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was the last and arguably the greatest of the conquest dynasties to rule China. Its rulers, Manchus from the northeast, held power for three centuries despite major cultural and ideological differences from the Han majority. In this book, Evelyn Rawski offers a bold new interpretation of the remarkable success of this dynasty, and argues that it derived not from the assimilation of the dominant Chinese culture, as has previously been believed, but from an artful synthesis of Manchu leadership styles and Han Chinese policies.