Bowie, Ep. 24 - All The Emperor's Horses by David Kidd, aka Peking Story

If you follow us on Twitter you know that we’re reviewing All The Emperor’s Horses in one episode. And you know that this read is also found under the title Peking Story, which is the newer version with a chapter added at the end, which was written years after the original story was told. Intrigued? You should be!

The Emperor’s Horses is the story of a young American teaching and studying in China. He marries into the aristocratic Yu family, and into the family mansion and gardens, which are characters in this book just as much as any of the people written about here. The year is 1949, and Peking has just surrendered to the Communist army. Our author, David Kidd, marries Aimee Yu in a rushed ceremony, which is charmingly and humorously written, and we follow along as the Yu family fortune, and ancient China’s culture and civilization are dismantled. This book is funny and heartbreaking, and will give you an understanding of how devastating it was to watch a 4,000 year old empire and all its tradition and beauty crumble.

David Kidd had a certain Bowie-like flair for style, both in his appearance and in his art. His observations and descriptions of people (and what they wore) and places are wonderful! This was, on multiple levels, a beautiful read.