[COMPLETE] With the Empress Dowager of China - annise

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
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gailtv
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Post by gailtv »

With the Empress Dowager of China by Katharine Carl (1865 - 1938).

This project is now complete. All files can be downloaded from the catalog page here:https://librivox.org/with-the-empress-dowager-of-china-by-katharine-carl/ [/color]
Through the eyes of an artist, With the Empress Dowager of China provides a glimpse of life in the Chinese Imperial Court, unseen by any other Westerner. In 1903, Katharine Carl, an American artist, was invited to paint a portrait of Cixi, the Empress Dowager of China, for display at the 1904 Exhibition at St Louis, USA. For nine months from the 5th of August 1903 when the painting was begun, Miss Carl lived within the Chinese Imperial Court, residing at the Summer Palace, Winter Palace and Sea Palace. During those nine months, a total of four portraits of the Empress Dowager were completed. While living in the Chinese Imperial Court, Miss Carl had the opportunity to observe the customs, personalities, entertainments and politics of the Royal household, and in particular to observe the Empress Dowager, who Miss Carl found to be graceful, warm, intelligent and generous.

Although Katharine Carl did not plan to publicise her experiences, With the Empress Dowager of China was written as a response to articles appearing in the American and British press containing statements never made by her and other misrepresentations. Words were being put into her mouth, she was being put into a very difficult position, and corrections needed to be made. By writing an account of life in the Imperial Court she risked “offending the sensibilities of her Chinese friends” since any comments on the personalities of the Emperor or Empress Dowager were considered to breaches of etiquette. Nevertheless, she did publish “a simple and truthful narrative of my experiences” in 1906.

For most of the time from 1861 until her death in 1908, Cixi, the Empress Dowager of China, was co-regent or regent, and was in control of the Chinese government, due to the youth and inexperience of the Emperors during those years as well as to her capabilities. Her legacy is controversial, and she is viewed variously as a despot, a reformer, and a capable and gracious ruler and administrator.

Katharine Carl’s St Louis Exposition portrait of the Empress Dowager of China resides in the collection of the Arthur M Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. (summary by Gail Timmerman-Vaughan)

  • Text source (only read from this text!): https://archive.org/details/withempressdowa00carlgoog/page/n54/mode/2up
  • Type of proof-listening required (Note: please read the PL FAQ): standard



    IMPORTANT - soloist, please note: in order to limit the amount of languishing projects (and hence the amount of files on our hard-pressed server), we ask that you post an update at least once a month in your project thread, even if you haven't managed to record anything. If we don't hear from you for three months, your project may be opened up to a group project if a Book Coordinator is found. Files you have completed will be used in this project. If you haven't recorded anything yet, your project will be removed from the forum (contact any admin to see if it can be re-instated).
    Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process (unless you are the BC or PL). Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!



    Magic Window:



    BC Admin
    ===========================================
    This paragraph is temporary and will be replaced by the MC with the list of sections and reader (Magic Window) once this project is in the admin system.

    [list]
    [*] Project Code: 0NHDXCaO



    [*]Link to author on Wikipedia (if available): (Katharine Carl) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Carl

    [*]Link to title on Wikipedia (if available):
    [*]Number of sections (files) this project will have: 36
    [*]Does the project have an introduction or preface [y/n]: Yes
    [*]Original publication date (if known): 1906
    [*]If you are a new volunteer, how would you like your name (or pseudonym) credited in the catalog? Do you have a URL you would like associated with your name?:
============================================ [/size]

Genres for the project: *Non-fiction; *Non-fiction/History /Modern (20th C); *Non-fiction/Art, Design & Architecture; *Non-fiction/Biography & Autobiography; *Non-fiction/Travel & Geography

Keywords that describe the book:

============================================

[*]The reader will record the following at the beginning and end of each file:
No more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of the recording!
START of recording (Intro):
  • "Chapter [number] of With the Empress Dowager of China. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org"
  • If you wish, say:
    "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
  • Say:
    "With the Empress Dowager of China, by Katharine Carl. [Chapter]"


For the second and all subsequent sections, you may optionally use the shortened form of this intro disclaimer:
  • "Chapter [number] of With the Empress Dowager of China by Katharine Carl. This LibriVox recording is in the Public Domain."
  • If you wish, say:
    "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
  • Only if applicable, say:
    "[Chapter title]"
END of recording:
  • At the end of the section, say:
    "End of [Chapter]"
  • If you wish, say:
    "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
  • At the end of the book, say (in addition):
    "End of With the Empress Dowager of China, by Katharine Carl. "

There should be ~5 seconds silence at the end of the recording.

[*]Example filename withtheempressdowagerofchina_##_carl_128kb.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the section number (e.g. withtheempressdowagerofchina_01_carl_128kb.mp3)

[*]Example ID3 V2 tags
Artist: Katharine Carl
Title: ## - [Section title]
Album: With the Empress Dowager of China


Transfer of files (completed recordings)
Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
  • Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader Image
    (If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
  • You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: annise - annise
  • When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
  • If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.

Any questions?
Please post below[/list]
Last edited by gailtv on December 4th, 2021, 12:17 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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craigdav1
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Posts: 30640
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Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

Leaving a cookie crumb.
annise
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Post by annise »

leaving an empty mw :D Anne
gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Thanks Anne and David --

This project has a DPL who is craigdav1.

Cheers

Gail
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gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Hi -

The first Section -- 00 -- of this book is now uploaded.

https://librivox.org/uploads/annise/withtheempressdowagerofchina_00_carl_128kb.mp3
9:55.7, 90.3 dB

Much easier to read than Banks! Unless Katharine Carl used a seriously good ghost editor (unlikely back then), she is being overly modest about her writing abilities. But we will see how it flows as it goes on.

Cheers

Gail
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craigdav1
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 30640
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Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

0 PL OK.

I recall that Vladimir Nabokov made similar declarations about his ability to write (in English). Nonetheless, an interesting opening.
gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Hi Again -

Chapter 01 has been uploaded.

https://librivox.org/uploads/annise/withtheempressdowagerofchina_01_carl_128kb.mp3
21:55.7, 89.7 dB.

Thanks for listening.

Cheers

Gail
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craigdav1
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 30640
Joined: December 17th, 2011, 3:56 pm
Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

1 PL OK!
gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Hi Again -

Chapter 02 has been uploaded ready for DPL.

https://librivox.org/uploads/annise/withtheempressdowagerofchina_02_carl_128kb.mp3
13:53.1, 89.5 dB

Thanks for listening,

Gail
craigdav1
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 30640
Joined: December 17th, 2011, 3:56 pm
Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

2 PL OK!
gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Hi David and Anne --

Let's get back to the Empress Dowager and her western painter lady.

https://librivox.org/uploads/annise/withtheempressdowagerofchina_03_carl_128kb.mp3
10:19.6, 88.5 dB

Thanks for listening.

Gail

PS. Beautiful cover Anne! Many thanks.
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craigdav1
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 30640
Joined: December 17th, 2011, 3:56 pm
Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

3 PL OK!
gailtv
Posts: 1196
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 5:46 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by gailtv »

Hi David --

Chapter 4 has been uploaded ready for listening. Many thanks.

https://librivox.org/uploads/annise/withtheempressdowagerofchina_04_carl_128kb.mp3
12:41.3, 90.0 dB

And Anne --

Needless to say we get daily news about your Covid situation in Melbourne. Keep yourself well! NZ seems to be finding that among the unexpected costs of smashing covid (mostly) early on is that we may be at the back of the queue for vaccine. The government is finally admitting that vaccine supplies are low. Meanwhile, I think most of my US family are fully vaccinated now, even my 15 yo granddaughter.

Cheers

Gail
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annise
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Post by annise »

We are really short too - although no one is admitting it - I managed last week to get my first injection - I'd been trying since they started doing category 1B - which is me.
We were making the one that may have a very very small chance of brain clots - or not depending on which figures you use. We had batches ordered from Belgium - which were about to be sent but the EU didn't ban the export - they just couldn't quite arrange for them to get EU certification, and another big batch from India (which I would be guilty about using - their need is great ) and they also didn't come.

Anne
craigdav1
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 30640
Joined: December 17th, 2011, 3:56 pm
Location: Chicago

Post by craigdav1 »

4 PL OK!

Things are quickly returning to (sort of) normal here. Attended my first CSO concert this week and yesterday had dinner with friends that I've not seen in over a year. On June 11th we open up to no capacity limits in most public places.
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