The family photos add so much to this book, changing it from an enjoyable story of magic to one young man's special escape from beheading when he was discovered to be part of a revolutionary group that wanted to overthrow Empress Cixi and the Manchu government. Life was quite different for 18-year-old male in China's Guangdong Province almost a century and a half ago (1889). It may be difficult at times to discern the line between magic and memoir, making for a very interesting read.