Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy

Divisive figures often make the most compelling biographical subjects; and Kawashima Yoshiko is no exception. During her life and in death, opinions have varied markedly. Loathed by the Chinese as a traitor, extolled by the Japanese for her talents as a spy, more recently she has even become a heroine to the LGBT community.

Phyllis Birnbaum provides a measured assessment of the fascinating rise and fall of this erratic, narcissistic, cross-dressing, bisexual princess.