The Empress and Mrs. Conger: The Uncommon Friendship of Two Women and Two Worlds receives its official Canadian launch as part of the University of Victoria's "Lunch and Learn" series.  The author will discuss the extraordinary friendship of two unique women of east and west - the Empress Dowager Cixi, controversial ruler of China for forty years, and the American Sarah Pike Conger, who extended her hand in friendship and trust through one of the most difficult periods of Sino-Western relations.

Copies of the book will be on hand for purchase and signing.   A scroll painting by the Empress Dowager, a sample of Mrs. Conger's Chinese antique collection, and books will be on display.