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Empress Dowager Cixi1 (Chinese: 慈禧太后; pinyin: Cíxǐ Tàihòu; Wade-Giles: Tz'u-Hsi T'ai-hou) (November 29, 1835 – November 15, 1908), popularly known in China as the West Dowager Empress (Chinese: 西太后), was from the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan. She was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ruling over China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908. Image File history File linksMetadata Cixi's_Official_Portrait. ...
is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
| Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...
is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
Empress Dowager Cixi1 (Chinese: ; pinyin: CÃxÇ Tà ihòu; Wade-Giles: Tzu-Hsi Tai-hou) (November 29, 1835 – November 15, 1908), popularly known in China as the West Dowager Empress (Chinese: 西太åŽ), was from the Manchu Yehe Nara Clan. ...
Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ...
Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ...
is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
| Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...
is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
The Yehe Nara, originally a Mongol clan, were a Manchu clan who ruled Yehe, one of the HÅ«lun Four States. ...
De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without...
The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mǎnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ...
Coming from an ordinary Manchu family and having been selected by the Xianfeng Emperor as a concubine, she exercised almost total control over the court under the nominal rule of her son the Tongzhi Emperor and her nephew the Guangxu Emperor, both of whom unsuccessfully attempted to rule in their own right. She was largely conservative during her rule and refused reform of the political system. Many historians considered her reign despotic, and attribute the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and therefore Imperial China, to of Cixi's rule. The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mǎnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
A swampy marsh area ...
The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
The Guangxu Emperor (August 14, 1871–November 14, 1908), born Zaitian (載湉), was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...
This does not cite its references or sources. ...
Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ...
Early Years
 Noble Consort Yi's portrait The exact origins of Empress Dowager Cixi are unclear, but most biographies claim that she was the daughter of a low-ranking Manchu official named Huizheng (Chinese: 惠征) of the Manchu Yehenara clan, and his principal wife, who belonged to the Manchu Fucha (Chinese: 富察) clan. The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: MÇŽnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mǎnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mǎnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
Huizheng was a member of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banners, who served in the Shanxi Province and later became Commissioner of Anhui Province. Edward Behr suggests that Cixi was born in 1835 as Lan Kueu (Little Orchid)[1], while Genzheng Yehenara, one of Cixi's brother's descendants, insists the name was Xing'er, and the name she used during schooling was Xingzhen. There are various stories about the early background of Cixi, none of which are in historical records. In the most popularly circulated tales, some of which have made their way into Chinese historical fiction, suggests Cixi is from one of four places: the Yangtze Region; Changzhi, Shanxi (this version says Cixi is actually a Han Chinese adopted by a Manchu family); Suiyuan (now Hohhot), Inner Mongolia; and Beijing. It is generally accepted that she spent most of her early life in the Anhui Province before moving to Beijing sometime between her third and fifteenth birthday. According to biographers, her father was dismissed from the civil service in 1853, two years after Cixi entered the Forbidden City, for allegedly not resisting the Taiping Rebellion in Anhui Province and deserting his post.[2] Some biographers even claim that he was beheaded for his crime. The Eight Banners (In Manchu: jakÅ«n gÅ«sa, In Chinese: å…«æ—— baqÃ) were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. ...
Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Length 6,380 km Elevation of the source ? m Average discharge 31,900 m³/s Area watershed 1,800,000 km² Origin Qinghai Province and Tibet Mouth East China Sea Basin countries China The Chang Jiang (Simplified Chinese: 长江; Traditional Chinese: 長江; pinyin: Cháng Jiāng; Wade-Giles: Chang Chiang...
Changzhi County (长治县) is a county in the prefecture of Changzhi (长治市) in the province of Shanxi of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
This article is about the majority ethnic group within China. ...
Hohhot (Chinese: 呼和浩特; Pinyin: Hūhéhà otè; Mongolian: Хөх хот), occasionally spelled Huhehot or Huhhot, is the capital city of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region in the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Inner Mongolia (Mongolian: ᠥᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠨᠺᠤᠯᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠺᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠤᠨ r Mongghul-un bertegen Jasaqu Orun; Chinese: 内蒙古自治区; Hanyu Pinyin: N i Měnggǔ Z qū) is an Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Peking redirects here. ...
Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Peking redirects here. ...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
Combatants Qing Empire United Kingdom France (United Kingdom and France join the war later) Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Commanders Xianfeng Emperor Tongzhi Emperor Empress Dowager Cixi Charles George Gordon Frederick Townsend Ward Hong Xiuquan Yang Xiuqing Xiao Chaogui Feng Yunshan Wei Changhui Shi Dakai Li Xiucheng Strength 2,000,000-5...
Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
In September, 1851, Cixi participated, with sixty other Manchu girls, in the selection process for concubines for the new Xianfeng Emperor. This process was supervised by the Kang Ci Imperial Dowager Consort, and Cixi was one of the few girls selected on that occasion and was appointed Noble Person, concubine of the Fifth Rank. She moved into the Emperor's Old Imperial Summer Palace Complex, and was soon granted the title "Worthy Lady Yi", which was a consort of the second-lowest rank. The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
Empress Xiao Jing Cheng åé™æˆçš‡åŽ (1812 - 1855) was the daughter of Hualianga of the Borjigit clan. ...
The Imperial Gardens as they once stood The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Clarity (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), was a complex of palaces and gardens 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the...
In 1855, the Lady Yehenara (as Cixi's name was recorded upon entering the Forbidden City) fell pregnant, and on April 27, 1856, she gave birth to Zaichun, the only male heir of the Xianfeng Emperor, obtaining an elevation to Imperial Consort Yi, which was a consort of the fourth rank.[3] When her son reached his first birthday, Yehenara was elevated to a Noble Consort Yi. This rank is an imperial consort of the third degree (after Empress Consort and Imperial Noble Consort). Because the rank Imperial Noble Consort was empty at that time, the rank Noble Consort placed Yehenara second only to the Empress Consort Zhen (who later became the Empress Dowager Ci'an). (See the section on "Names of Empress Dowager Cixi" for more detail.) is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
Death of the Xianfeng Emperor In September 1860, British and French troops attacked Beijing during the closing stages of the Second Opium War, and by the following month had burned the Emperor's exquisite Imperial Summer Palace Complex to the ground. The attack, under the command of Lord Elgin, was in retaliation for the arrest on September 18 of British diplomatic envoy Harry Parkes. The Xianfeng Emperor and his entourage, including Cixi, fled Beijing for the safety of Rehe in Manchuria.[4] On hearing the news of the destruction of the Summer Palace, the Xianfeng Emperor (who was already showing signs of dementia) fell into a depression, turning heavily to alcohol and drugs and becoming seriously ill.[5] Peking redirects here. ...
Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ...
The Imperial Gardens as they once stood The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Clarity (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), was a complex of palaces and gardens 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the...
The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (20 July 1811 – 20 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat, best known as Governor General of the Province of Canada and Viceroy of India. ...
Sir Harry Smith Parkes (1828 - 1885) was a 19th century British diplomat who worked mainly in China and Japan. ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
Peking redirects here. ...
The Putuo Zongcheng ticket to the summer resort (1984) Chengde (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. ...
On August 22, 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor died at the Rehe Palace in the City of Rehe (now Chengde, Hebei). Before his death, the Xianfeng Emperor summoned eight of his most prestigious ministers, headed by Sushun, Zaiyuan, and Duanhua, and named them as the "Eight Regent Ministers" to direct and support the future Emperor. His heir, the son of Noble Consort Yi (future Empress Dowager Cixi), was only five years old. On his deathbed, the Xianfeng Emperor summoned his Empress and Noble Consort Yi, and gave each of them a stamp. He hoped that when his son ascended the throne, his Empress and Noble Consort Yi would cooperate in harmony and, together, help the young emperor to grow and mature. It was also meant as a check on the power of the eight regents [6]. Upon the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, his Empress Consort, aged 25, was elevated to the Empress Dowager Ci'an (popularly known as the East Empress Dowager because she lived in the Eastern Zhong-Cui Palace), and Noble Consort Yi, aged 27, was elevated to the Empress Dowager Cixi (popularly known as the West Empress Dowager because she lived inside the Western Chuxiu Palace). is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
The Putuo Zongcheng ticket to the summer resort (1984) Chengde (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. ...
The Putuo Zongcheng ticket to the summer resort (1984) Chengde (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. ...
Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hopeh) is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Emperor Sushun (崇峻天皇) was the 32nd imperial ruler of Japan (587-592). ...
Aisin-Gioro Zaiyuan, the Prince Yi, (Simplified Chinese:载垣; --1861) plotted against Empress Dowager Cixi during a power struggle in the Qing Dynasty. ...
Duanhua (郑亲王端åŽ; ?--1861) was a Manchu noble of the Bordered Blue Banner from the Aisin-Gioro clan. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
Xinyou Coup: Ousting Sushun  Empress Dowager Cixi standing in front of her seat inside her bedroom chamber, the Hall of Happiness and Longevity of the Summer Palace By the time of Xianfeng Emperor's death, Empress Dowager Cixi had become a brilliant manipulator. In Rehe, while waiting for an astrologically favorable time to transport the coffin back to Peking, Empress Dowager Cixi plotted to grab power. Cixi's position as the lower Empress Dowager was neither convenient nor legitimate when it came to political power. In addition, the young emperor was not yet enough of a factor to be taken into political consideration. As a result, it became necessary for her to ally herself with other power figures. Taking advantage of the late emperor's principal wife, the Empress Dowager Ci'an's naivete and good nature, Cixi suggested that they become co-reigning Empress Dowagers, with powers exceeding the Eight Regent Ministers. [7] The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
The Putuo Zongcheng ticket to the summer resort (1984) Chengde (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
Tensions grew between the Eight Regent Ministers, headed by Sushun, and the Empress Dowagers. The ministers did not enjoy Cixi's interference in political matters, and the frequent confrontations left the Empress Dowager Ci'an in an angry state, to the point where she refused to come to court audiences, leaving Empress Dowager Cixi alone to deal with the ministers. Secretly, Empress Dowager Cixi began collecting the support of talented ministers, soldiers and others who were ignored or hated by the eight regent ministers. Among them was Prince Gong, who had great ambitions and was at that time excluded from the power circle, and the Prince Chun, the 6th and 7th sons of the Daoguang Emperor, respectively. While she aligned herself with the Princes, a memorial came from Shandong asking for Cixi to "Listen to politics behind the Curtains", i.e., asking Cixi to become the ruler. The same memorial also asked Prince Gong to enter the political arena as a principal "aide to the Emperor". Emperor Sushun (崇峻天皇) was the 32nd imperial ruler of Japan (587-592). ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
Prince Gong (Chinese: æ亲王; Wade-Giles: Prince Kung) (January 11, 1833 - May 29, 1898), commonly known in his days as the Sixth Prince (å…王爺), was born Yixin (Chinese: 奕訢; Wade-Giles: I-hsin), of the Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Manchu imperial family ruling over China). ...
1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕譞; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing...
Look up Petition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
(Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ...
When the funeral procession started for Beijing, Cixi fully used her alliance with Prince Gong and Prince Chun. She and the boy Emperor returned to the capital before the rest of the party, along with Zaiyuan and Duanhua, two of the principle regents, while Sushun was left to accompany the deceased Emperor's procession. Cixi's early return to Beijing meant that she could plot further with Prince Gong, and ensured that the power base of the Eight Ministers were divided between Sushun and his allies, Zaiyuan and Duanhua. History was re-written and the Regents were dismissed for having carried out incompetent negotiations with the "barbarians" which had caused Xianfeng Emperor to flee to Rehe "greatly against his will", among other charges.[8] Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong produced a document called the "Eight Guilts of Regent Ministers", which included allegations such as altering the late Xianfeng Emperor's wills, causing his death, and stealing power from the two Empress Dowagers.[citation needed] Prince Gong (Chinese: æ亲王; Wade-Giles: Prince Kung) (January 11, 1833 - May 29, 1898), commonly known in his days as the Sixth Prince (å…王爺), was born Yixin (Chinese: 奕訢; Wade-Giles: I-hsin), of the Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Manchu imperial family ruling over China). ...
1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕譞; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing...
Aisin-Gioro Zaiyuan, the Prince Yi, (Simplified Chinese:载垣; --1861) plotted against Empress Dowager Cixi during a power struggle in the Qing Dynasty. ...
Duanhua (郑亲王端åŽ; ?--1861) was a Manchu noble of the Bordered Blue Banner from the Aisin-Gioro clan. ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
The Putuo Zongcheng ticket to the summer resort (1984) Chengde (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. ...
Prince Gong (Chinese: æ亲王; Wade-Giles: Prince Kung) (January 11, 1833 - May 29, 1898), commonly known in his days as the Sixth Prince (å…王爺), was born Yixin (Chinese: 奕訢; Wade-Giles: I-hsin), of the Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Manchu imperial family ruling over China). ...
The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
To show the world that she had high moral standards, Empress Dowager Cixi only executed three of the eight regent ministers. Prince Gong had suggested that Sushun and others be executed by the most painful method, known as slow slicing, but Dowager Cixi declined the suggestion and decided that Sushun be beheaded, while the other two, Zaiyuan and Duanhua, marked for execution be given white silks to allow them to commit suicide. In addition, Cixi outright refused the idea of executing the family members of the ministers, as would be done in accordance with Imperial tradition of an alleged usurper. Ironically, Qing Imperial tradition also dictated that women and Princes were never to engage in politics. In breaking with tradition, Cixi became the first and only Qing Dynasty Empress to rule from "behind the curtains" (垂帘听政). Slow slicing (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: , alternately transliterated Ling Chi or Leng Tche), also translated as the slow process, the lingering death, or death by/of a thousand cuts, is a form of execution used in China from roughly CE 900 to its abolition in 1905. ...
This palace coup is known as the "Xinyou Palace Coup" (Chinese: 辛酉政變) in China after the name of the year 1861 in the Sexagenary cycle. The Chinese sexagenary cycle (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a cyclic numeral system of 60 combinations of the two basic cycles, the ten Heavenly Stems (天干; tiÄngÄn) and the twelve Earthly Branches (地支; dìzhÄ«). These have been traditionally used as a means of numbering days and years, not only in China...
Behind the Curtains
New era In November 1861, a few days following the coup, Cixi was quick to reward Yixin, the Prince Gong, for his help. He was made head of the General Affairs Office and the Internal Affairs Office, and his daughter was made a Gurun Princess, a title usually only bestowed upon the Empress' first-born daughter. Yixin's allowance also increased two-fold. However, Cixi avoided giving Yixin the absolute political power princes such as Dorgon exercised during the Shunzhi Emperor's reign. As one of the first acts from behind the curtains, Cixi (nominally along with Ci'an) issued two important Imperial Edicts on behalf of the Emperor. The first stated that the two Empresses Dowager were to be the sole decision makers "without interference", and the second changed the boy Emperor's era name from Qixiang (祺祥; "Auspicious") to Tongzhi (同治; "collective rule"). Zhejiang (also spelled Chehkiang or Chekiang) is an eastern coastal province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Portrait of General Tso, by Piassetsky, 1875 ZuÇ’ ZÅngtáng (å·¦å®—æ£ , Styled Jigao å£é«˜) (November 10, 1812-September 5, 1885), spelled Tso Tsung-tang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso or General Tsuo to Westerners, was a gifted Chinese military leader born in Wenjialong, north of Changsha...
Henan (Chinese: æ²³å—; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...
Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hupeh) is a central province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
(Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal map spelling: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south. ...
Shen Baozhen Shen Baozhen (1820-79, 沈葆禎) Chinese official during the Qing dynasty. ...
(simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-su; Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. ...
Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire. ...
Guangxi (Zhuang: Gvangjsih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西; Traditional Chinese: 廣西; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Kuang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kwangsi), full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Zhuang: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西壮æ—自治区; Traditional Chinese: 廣西壯æ—自治å€; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ« Zhuà ngzú ZìzhìqÅ«) is a Zhuang autonomous region of...
Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Hainan, Henan, and Yunnan. ...
Dorgon (多爾袞 duo1 er3 gun3) (November 17, 1612 - December 31, 1650), also known as Hošoi Mergen Cin Wang (和碩睿親王), was a Manchu prince in the early Qing dynasty. ...
The Shunzhi Emperor (March 15, 1638–February 5, 1661?) was the second emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper from 1644 to 1661. ...
An era name was assigned as the name of each year by the leader (emperor or king) of the East Asian countries of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam during some portion of their history. ...
Cleaning up the Bureaucracy Cixi's entrance as the absolute power figure in China came at a time of internal chaos and foreign challenges. The effects of the Second Opium War was still hovering over the country, as the Taiping Rebellion continued their seemingly unstoppable advance through China's south, eating up the Qing Empire bit by bit. Internally, both the national bureaucracy and regional authorities were infested with rampant corruption. 1861 happened to be the year of official examinations, whereby officials of all levels presented their political reports from the previous three years. Cixi decided that the time was ripe for a bureaucratic overhaul, where she personally sought audience with all officials above the level of provincial governor, who had to report to her personally. Cixi took on part of the role usually given to the Bureacratic Affairs Department (吏部). Cixi also executed two prominent officials to serve as examples as a more immediate solution. Qingying, a military shilang who had tried to bribe his way out of demotion, and He Guiqing, then Viceroy of Liangjiang, who fled Changzhou in the wake of an incoming Taiping army as opposed to trying to defend the city. Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ...
Combatants Qing Empire United Kingdom France (United Kingdom and France join the war later) Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Commanders Xianfeng Emperor Tongzhi Emperor Empress Dowager Cixi Charles George Gordon Frederick Townsend Ward Hong Xiuquan Yang Xiuqing Xiao Chaogui Feng Yunshan Wei Changhui Shi Dakai Li Xiucheng Strength 2,000,000-5...
The Viceroy of Liangjiang (两江总ç£), fully referred to as the Governor General of the two Yangtze Provinces and surrounding areas; Overseeing Military Affairs, Food Production; Manager of Waterways; Director of Civil Affairs (總ç£ä¸¤æ±Ÿç‰è™•åœ°æ–¹ï¼Œæç£è»å‹™ã€ç³§é¤‰ã€ç®¡ç†æ²³é“兼巡撫事), was one of eight viceroys of the Qing Dynasty in China. ...
Changzhou (Chinese: 常州) is a prefecture-level city in the Jiang Nan region of the Jiangsu province of China, population up to 4 million. ...
Another significant challenge Cixi faced was the increasingly decrepit state of the country's Manchu elite. Since the beginning of the dynasty most major positions at court had been held by Manchus, and Emperors had generally shown contempt for powerful Han Chinese. Cixi, again in a reversal of Imperial tradition, entrusted the country's most powerful military unit against the Taiping army into the hands of a Han Chinese, Zeng Guofan. Additionally, in the next three years, Cixi appointed Han Chinese officials to become governors of all southern Chinese provinces, raising alarm bells in an administration traditionally fond of Manchu dominance. The Manchu people (Manchu: Manju; simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Mǎnzú, Mongolian: Манж) are a Tungusic people who originated in Manchuria (todays Northeastern China). ...
This article is about the majority ethnic group within China. ...
General Zeng Guofan Marquess Zēng Guófán, (t. ...
Taiping Victory and Prince Gong Under the command of Gen. Zeng Guofan, his victorious Xiang Army defeated the Taiping Army in a hard-fought battle at Tianjing (present-day Nanjing) in July 1864. Zeng Guofan was rewarded with the title of Marquess Yiyong, First Class, and his brother Zeng Guoquan along with Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, all Han Chinese generals from the war, were rewarded respectively with their decorations and titles. With the Taiping threat receding, Cixi was focused on new internal threats to her power. Of special concern was the position of Yixin, the Prince Gong, and the Chief Policy Advisor (议政王) at Court. Yixin, whose loyalties stretched at least half of the country, also had effectively gathered under his command the support of all outstanding Han Chinese armies. In addition, Yixin controlled daily court affairs as the first-in-charge at the Grand Council as well as the Zongli Yamen, the de facto ministry of foreign affairs. With his increasing stature, Yixin was considered a serious threat to Cixi and her power. General Zeng Guofan Marquess ZÄ“ng Guófán, (t. ...
Taiping (also Itu Aba, Chinese: 太平島) is the largest island of Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) in the South China Sea. ...
For other uses, see Nanjing (disambiguation). ...
Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire. ...
Portrait of General Tso, by Piassetsky, 1875 ZuÇ’ ZÅngtáng (å·¦å®—æ£ , Styled Jigao å£é«˜) (November 10, 1812-September 5, 1885), spelled Tso Tsung-tang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso or General Tsuo to Westerners, was a gifted Chinese military leader born in Wenjialong, north of Changsha...
Prince Gong in official dress Prince Gong (Chinese: 恭親王; Wade-Giles: Prince Kung) (January 11, 1833 - May 29, 1898), commonly known in his days as the Sixth Prince (六王爺), was born Yixin (Chinese: 奕訢; Wade-Giles: I-hsin), of the Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Manchu imperial family ruling over...
The Grand Council or Junjichu (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Jūnjīchù; Manchu: coohai nashūn i ba; literally, Office of Military Secrets) was an important policy-making body in the Qing Empire. ...
Zongli Yamen (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tsungli Yamen) was the name of the government office/department of foreign relations (or Foreign Office) of imperial China during the Qing dynasty. ...
Although the Prince was rewarded for his conduct and recommendation of Zeng Guofan before the Taiping defeat, Cixi was quick to move after Cai Shaoqi, a little-known official who was the recorder at Court, filed a memorial asking for Yixin's resignation. Having built up a powerful base and a network of allies at court, Yixin considered the memorial insignificant. Cixi, however, took the memorial as a stepping stone to Yixin's removal. In April 1865, under the pretext that Yixin had "improper court conduct before the two Empresses", among a series of other charges, Yixin was dismissed from all his positions but was allowed to keep his title.[9] The dismissal, however, surprised the nobility and court officials, and brought about numerous petitions for his return. Yicong, Prince Tun, as well as Yixuan, the Prince Chun, both sought their brother's reinstatement. Yixin himself, in an audience with the two Empresses, burst into tears [10]. Bowing to popular pressure, Cixi allowed Yixin to return to his position as the head of the foreign ministry, but rid Yixin of his title of Chief Policy Advisor. Yixin would never return to political prominence again, and neither would the liberal and pro-reform policies of his time. Yixin's demotion showed Cixi's iron grip on Qing politics, and her lack of willingness to give up absolute power to anyone, including her most important ally in the Xinyou Coup, Prince Gong. Look up Petition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Yicong, 2nd Prince Tun (惇親王奕誴)(1831-1889) was the fifth son of Daoguang Emperor and Xiang Fei. ...
Prince Chun (zh: 醇王) was the title created in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor for his seventh brother Yixuan. ...
Foreign influence China's loss in the Second Opium War was undoubtedly a wake-up call for its imperial rulers. Cixi presided over a country whose military strategies, both on land and sea, and in terms of weaponry, were vastly outdated. In addition, there were significant difficulties in communications between China and the Western powers. Sensing an immediate threat from foreigners and realizing that China's agricultural-based economy could not hope to compete with the industrial prowess of the West, Cixi made a decision that for the first time in Imperial Chinese history, China would learn from Western powers and import their knowledge and technology. At the time, three prominent Han Chinese officials, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, had all begun industrial programs in the country's southern regions. In supporting these programs, Cixi also decreed the opening of Tongwen Guan in 1862, a university-like institution in Beijing that hired foreigners as teachers and specialized in new-age topics such as astronomy and mathematics, as well as the English, French, and Russian languages. Groups of young boys were also sent abroad to the United States. Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ...
General Zeng Guofan Marquess Zēng Guófán, (t. ...
Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire. ...
Portrait of General Tso, by Piassetsky, 1875 ZuÇ’ ZÅngtáng (å·¦å®—æ£ , Styled Jigao å£é«˜) (November 10, 1812-September 5, 1885), spelled Tso Tsung-tang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso or General Tsuo to Westerners, was a gifted Chinese military leader born in Wenjialong, north of Changsha...
Tongwen Guan (åŒæ–‡é¤¨), or the School of Combined Learning was an government school for teaching Western languages (and later scientific subjects), founded at Beijing, China in 1862 during the late-Qing Dynasty. ...
China's "learn from foreigners" program quickly met impediments. China's military institutions were in desperate need of reform, and Cixi's solution, under the advice of officials at court, was to purchase seven British warships. When the warships arrived in China, however, they carried with them boatloads of British sailors all under British command. The Chinese were enraged at this "international joke", negotiations broke down between the two parties, and China returned the warships to Britain, where they were to be auctioned off. Scholars sometimes contribute the failure of China's foreign programs to Cixi's conservative attitude and old methods of thinking, and contend that Cixi would learn only so much from the foreigners, provided it did not infringe upon her own power. Under the pretext that a railway was too loud and would "disturb the Emperor's tombs", Cixi forbade its construction. When construction went ahead anyway in 1877 under Li Hongzhang's recommendation, Cixi asked that they be pulled by horse-drawn carts[11]. Cixi was especially alarmed at the liberal thinking of people who had studied abroad, and saw that it posed a new threat to her power. In 1881, Cixi put a halt to sending children abroad to study, and withdrew her formerly open attitude towards foreigners.
Tongzhi's Marriage and Rule In 1872, when the Emperor was 17, under the guidance of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, the Tongzhi Emperor was married to Lady Alute (the Jiashun Empress). Empress Jiashun's grandfather had been an enemy of Empress Dowager Cixi during the Xinyou Coup. From the beginning, the relationship between Empress Dowager Cixi and the Jiashun Empress was tense and often a source of irritation to Cixi. The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
// The Jia Shun Empress Alute (Chinese: 嘉顺皇åŽé˜¿é²ç‰¹æ° 1854 - 1875 aka Empress Xiao Zhe Yi (Chinese: å哲毅皇åŽ) was the Empress Consort of the Tong Zhi Emperor of China. ...
The Tongzhi Emperor proceeded to spend most of his time with his new Empress, at the expense of his four Imperial Consorts and Concubines, including the Lady Fucha, Noble Consort Gui, who was chosen by Cixi. Empress Dowager Cixi became hostile to the Jiashun Empress and told them that they were both still young and should spend more time studying how to effectively manage the country. Cixi also spied on Tongzhi using eunuchs. After her warning was ignored, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered Tongzhi to concentrate on ruling the country. Tongzhi purportedly spent several months following Cixi's order in isolation at Qianqing Palace. European illustration of a Eunuch (1749) Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. ...
The young Emperor, who could no longer cope with his grievance and loneliness, grew more and more ill-tempered. He began to treat his servants badly and to beat them for minor offenses. Under the combined influence of court eunuchs and Zaicheng, the eldest son of the Prince Gong, who was also Tongzhi's contemporary and best friend, Tongzhi would get out of the palace to seek for pleasure in the rest of Beijing. For several evenings the Emperor disguised himself as a commoner and secretly spent the nights in the brothels of Beijing. The Emperor's sexual habits became common talk amongst court officials and commoners, and there are many records of Tongzhi's escapades and acts. A brothel, also known as a bordello or whorehouse, is an establishment specifically dedicated to prostitution, providing the prostitutes a place to meet and to have sex with the clients. ...
Having been under control of his mother for most of his life, Tongzhi received a rigorous education from four famous teachers of Cixi's own choosing, in addition to making Mianyu his supervisor. Namely, Li Hongzao, Qi Junzao, Weng Xincun (later his son Weng Tonghe, and Woren) were all Imperial teachers who taught the Emperor in the classics and various old texts for which the Emperor displayed little or no interest. The pressure and stress put upon the young Emperor made him despise learning for the majority of his life. According to Weng Tonghe's diary, the Emperor could not read a memorial in full sentences by age sixteen. Worried about her son's inability Cixi only pressured Tongzhi more. When he was given personal rule at age 18, in November 1873, which was four years behind convention, Tongzhi proved to be an incompetent Emperor. Weng Tonghe (ç¿åŒé¾¢, 1830—1904). ...
Tongzhi made two important policy decisions during his short stint of rule lasting from 1873 to 1875. First, he decreed for the Imperial Summer Palace, destroyed by the English and French in the Second Opium War, to be completely rebuilt under the pretext that it was a gift to Cixi and Ci'an. Historians also suggest that it was an attempt to drive Cixi from the Forbidden City so he could rightfully rule without intervention in policy or his private affairs. The Imperial treasury was almost depleted at the time from internal strife and foreign wars, and as a result Tongzhi asked the Board of Finance to forage for the necessary funds, as well as members of the nobility and high officials to donate their share. Once construction began, Tongzhi checked its progress on a monthly basis, and would often spend days away from court, indulging himself in pleasures outside of the Forbidden City. The Imperial Gardens as they once stood The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness (圓明園), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (御園), was an extremely large complex of palaces and gardens 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the walls of Beijing, built in the...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
Feeling unease from the Emperor's neglect for national affairs, Princes Yixin and Yixuan (the 1st Prince Chun), along with the Court's top officials, submitted a joint memorial asking the Emperor to cease the construction of the Summer Palace, among other recommendations. Tongzhi, unwilling to submit to criticism, issued an Imperial Edict in August 1874 to rid Yixin of his Prince title and be demoted to become a commoner. Two days later, Yicong, Yixuan, Yihui, Jingshou, Yikuang, Wenxiang, Baoju, and Grand Councilors Shen Guifen and Li Hongzao were all to be stripped of their respective titles and jobs. Seeing the mayhem unfold from behind the scenes, Cixi and Ci'an made an unprecedented appearance at court directly criticizing the Emperor for his wrongful actions, and asked him to withdraw the Edict; Cixi said that "without Prince Gong, the situation today would not exist for you and I." 1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕èž; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Dynasty imperial...
Yicong, 2nd Prince Tun (惇親王奕誴)(1831-1889) was the fifth son of Daoguang Emperor and Xiang Fei. ...
Yikuang, the Prince Qing, in Imperial Robes Yikuang, the Prince Qing (Simplified Chinese: 庆亲王奕劻, Wade-Giles:Prince Ching, February 1836 - January 1918) was a Manchu noble of the late Qing Dynasty. ...
Wenxiang (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Manchu: Wensiyang) born October 16, 1818 in Liaoyang, died May 26, 1876). ...
Feeling a grand sense of loss at court and unable to assert his authority, the Emperor returned to his former habits. It was rumored that the Emperor caught syphilis and became visibly ill. The doctors spread a rumor that the Emperor had caught smallpox, and proceeded to give medical treatment accordingly. Within a few weeks, on January 13, 1875, the Emperor died. The Jiashun Empress followed suit in March. Judging from a modern medical perspective however, the onset of syphilis comes in stages, and the Emperor's quick death does not seem to reflect its symptoms. Therefore most historians maintain that Tongzhi did, in fact, die from smallpox. Regardless, by 1875, Cixi was back onto the helm of imperial power. Syphilis is a curable sexually transmitted disease caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete. ...
is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
Regency over the Guangxu Emperor
New Challenges  Emperor Guangxu (literally Glorious Succession) Tongzhi died without leaving a male heir, creating an unprecedented succession crisis in the dynastic line. As members of the generation above were considered unfit as they could not, by definition, be the successor of their nephew, the new Emperor had to be from a generation below or the same generation as Tongzhi. After considerable disagreement between the two Dowagers, Zaitian, the first-born of the 1st Prince Chun Yixuan and Cixi's sister, then aged four, was to become the new Emperor. 1875 was declared the era of Guangxu, or the reign of Glorious Succession. Young Zaitian was taken from his home and for the remainder of his life would be cut completely off from his family. While addressing Ci'an conventionally as Huang O'niang (Empress Mother), Zaitian was forced to address Cixi as Qin Baba (亲爸爸; lit. "Biological Dad"), in order to enforce an image that she was the fatherly power figure in the house (needs reference). The Guangxu Emperor began his education when he was aged five, taught by Imperial Tutor Weng Tonghe, with whom he would develop a lasting bond. 1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕èž; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Dynasty imperial...
The Guangxu Emperor (August 14, 1871–November 14, 1908), born Zaitian(載湉), was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1875 to 1908. ...
Weng Tonghe (ç¿åŒé¾¢, 1830—1904). ...
The sudden death of Empress Dowager Ci'an in April 1881 brought Cixi a new challenge. Ci'an took little interest in running state business, but was the decision maker in most family affairs. Owing to possible conflict between Cixi and Ci'an over the execution of An Dehai or a possible will from the late Xianfeng Emperor issued exclusively to Ci'an, rumours began circulating at court that Cixi had poisoned Ci'an [12]. During March 1881 Ci'an fell ill and Cixi became the only regent at Court, and on the Imperial records, Ci'an appeared sick on the morning of April 11, and was dead by the evening[13]. The circumstances indeed looked suspicious. Because of a lack of evidence, however, historians are reluctant to believe that Ci'an was poisoned by Cixi, but instead choose to believe that the cause of death was a sudden stroke, as validated by traditional Chinese medicine. Ci'an's death meant that the balanced power structure was now tipped completely in Cixi's favor, and Prince Gong's position was considerably weakened. The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ...
Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ...
The once fierce and determined Prince Gong, frustrated by Cixi's iron grip on power, did little to question Cixi on state affairs, and supported Chinese involvement in the Sino-French War. Cixi used China's loss in the war as a pretext for getting rid of Prince Gong and other important decision makers in the Grand Council in 1885. She downgraded him to "advisor", and promoted the more easily influenced Yixuan, Prince Chun. After being appointed President of the Navy, Prince Chun, in a sign of unswerving loyalty to Cixi, but in reality a move to protect his son, the new Emperor, moved funds from the military to reconstruct the Imperial Summer Palace outside of Beijing as a place for Cixi's retirement. Prince Chun did not want Cixi to interfere with his son Guangxu's affairs once he came of age. Cixi showed no opposition to the construction of the palace. Combatants France Qing China Black Flag Army Annam Strength 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers 25,000 to 35,000 soldiers (from the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and Yunnan) Casualties 2,100 killed or wounded 10,000 killed or wounded The Sino-French War or Franco-Chinese War...
The Grand Council or Junjichu (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Jūnjīchù; Manchu: coohai nashūn i ba; literally, Office of Military Secrets) was an important policy-making body in the Qing Empire. ...
1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕譞; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing...
The Summer Palace in Beijing. ...
For her sixtieth birthday in 1895, Empress Dowager Cixi was given ten million taels of silver, which many believe was used to furnish her Summer Palace. Although the Chinese Navy had recently lost most of its modern warships in the 1894 First Sino-Japanese War, and urgently needed the money to rebuild a high-tech fleet, it is a common misconception that Empress Dowager Cixi instead chose to use the money for her own pleasure. In fact, the sum of money would have been used to pay for public events and as gifts to the many favorite princes, courtiers, viceroys, governors, mayors, magistrates, and other officials as payment for their services. And, Empress Dowager Cixi canceled her celebration, which upset many nobles, gentry and others who had expected generous payment. The Summer Palace in Beijing. ...
Combatants Qing Dynasty (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino-Japanese War (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese...
The Guangxu Emperor's accession Guangxu technically gained the right to rule at the age of 16 in 1887 after Cixi issued an edict for Guangxu to have his accession to rule ceremony. Because of her prestige and power, however, court officials voiced their opposition to Guangxu's personal rule, citing that the Emperor was too young as the main reason. Shiduo, Yixuan, and Weng Tonghe, each with a different purpose, asked Guangxu's accession to be postponed until a later date. Cixi, with her reputed reluctance, accepted the "advice" and legitimized her continued rule through a new legal document that allowed her to "aid" the Guangxu Emperor in his rule indefinitely. 1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕譞; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing...
Weng Tonghe (ç¿åŒé¾¢, 1830—1904). ...
Cixi would slowly let go of her iron grip on power as the court prepared for the Guangxu Emperor's wedding ceremony in 1889. By then the Guangxu Emperor was already 18, older than the conventional marital age for Emperors. Prior to the wedding, a large fire engulfed the Gate of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City, following a trend of natural disasters in recent years, which according to Chinese political theory meant that the current rulers were losing the "Mandate of Heaven". In another political move, Cixi forced Guangxu to choose Jingfen (later the Empress Dowager Longyu), her niece, to become the Empress, against Guangxu's will. In later years, however, Guangxu would prefer to spend more time with Consort Zhen, neglecting his Empress, much to Cixi's dismay. In 1894, Cixi, citing intervention in political affairs as the main reason, but in reality fearful that Consort Zhen has become a liberal influence on the Emperor, flogged and punished Consort Zhen. Even after Guangxu began formal rule at age 19, Cixi continued to influence his decisions and actions, despite residing for a period of time at the Imperial Summer Palace which she had ordered Guangxu's father, with the official intention not to intervene in politics. Guangxu paid visits to her, along with the entourage of court officials, every second or third day, where major political decisions would be made. For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
Mandate of Heaven (天命 PÄ«nyÄ«n: TiÄnmìng) was a traditional Chinese sovereignty concept of legitimacy used to support the rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty and later the Emperors of China. ...
Yehenara, Empress Xiao Ding Jing (Chinese: å定景皇åŽå¶èµ«é‚£æ‹‰æ°); is better known as the Empress Dowager Longyu (Chinese: 隆裕皇åŽ), (given name: Jingfen éœèŠ¬) (1868 - 1913). ...
Zhenfei Zhenfei Zhenfei (zh: ç妃) (February 27, 1876 - August 15, 1900), populary known as the Pearl concubine was an imperial concubine of the Guangxu Emperor (b. ...
The Summer Palace in Beijing. ...
Hundred Days' Reform  Empress Dowager Cixi resumed the role of regent and once again took control of the country. After taking power, the Guangxu Emperor was more reform-minded than the conservative-leaning Empress Dowager Cixi. After experiencing a rather embarrassing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894, during which China's Beiyang Navy was crushed by the Japanese naval fleet, the Qing government faced numerous unprecedented challenges internally and abroad, with its very existence at stake. Under the influence of reformers Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, Guangxu believed that by learning from constitutional monarchies like Japan and Germany, China would become more powerful politically and economically. In June 1898, the Guangxu Emperor began the Hundred Days' Reform(戊戌变法), aimed at a series of sweeping changes politically, legally, and socially. For a brief time, after the supposed retirement of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the Guangxu Emperor issued edicts for a massive number of far-reaching modernizing reforms. The Guangxu Emperor (August 14, 1871–November 14, 1908), born Zaitian (載湉), was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...
Combatants Qing Dynasty (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino-Japanese War (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese...
Beiyang was a province of China. ...
Kang Youwei (Chinese: 康有為; March 19, 1858–March 31, 1927) was a Chinese scholar and political reformist. ...
Portrait of Liang Qichao (Tung Wah News, 17 April 1901) Liang Qichao (Chinese: æ¢å•Ÿè¶…, Liáng QÇchÄo; Courtesy: Zhuoru, å“如; Pseudonym: Rengong, 任公) (February 23, 1873–January 19, 1929) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and...
The Hundred Days Reform (Chinese: 戊戌å˜æ³•, wùxÅ« bià nfÇŽ, or 百日ç¶æ–°, bÇŽirì wéixÄ«n) was a 103-day reform from 11 June to 21 September 1898. ...
The reforms, however, were too sudden for a China still under significant neo-Confucian influence, and displeased Cixi as it served as a serious check on her power. Some government and military officials warned Cixi that the ming-shih (reformation bureau) had been geared toward conspiracy. Allegations of treason against the Emperor, as well as suspected Japanese influence within the reform movement, including a suspicious visit from the Japanese Prime Minister, led Empress Dowager Cixi to resume the role of regent and once again take control of the country.
In another coup d'etat carried out by General Ronglu's personnel on September 21, 1898, the Guangxu Emperor was taken to Ocean Terrace, a small palace on an island in the middle of Zhongnanhai linked to the rest of the Forbidden City with only a controlled causeway. Empress Dowager Cixi would follow with an edict dictating the Guangxu Emperor's total disgrace and "not being fit to be Emperor". The Guangxu Emperor's reign had effectively come to an end. A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...
Ronglu (è£ç¦„, April 6, 1836- April 11, 1903) was a Manchu statesman during the late Qing dynasty. ...
is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
An aerial view of Zhongnanhai The Zhongnanhai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ZhÅngnánhăi) is a complex of buildings in Beijing, China which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the government of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
According to the new research of Taiwan’s scholar Lei Chiasheng in 2004, there is new explanation of Cixi’s coup in 1898. During the period of Hundred Days' Reform, Japanese prime minister Ito Hirobumi（伊藤博文） and British missionary Timothy Richard went to Beijing and lobbied Kang Youwei（康有為） for the plots of “borrow- talent” （借才）and “united-states”（合邦）. In fact,the plots were diplomatic tricks. Cixi found the plots and arranged the coup to stop them. According to the files of Qing Government, we can understand that Cixi could get the information about the new-policies. So she could read the Yang Shenxiu（楊深秀）’s report which was suggestion on uniting the China, USA, UK and Japan. Finally, she understood the dangerous situation and started the coup.
A crisis followed in the Qing court on the issue of abdication. However, bowing to increasing western pressure and general civil discontent over the issue, Cixi did not forcibly remove Guangxu from the throne, although she attempted crowning Punji, a boy of fourteen who was from a close branch of the Imperial family, as the crown prince. The Guangxu era nominally continued until 1908, but the Emperor lost all honours, respect, power, and privileges, including his freedom of movement. Most of his supporters, including Kang Youwei, were exiled, while six prominent reformers led by Tan Sitong were executed in public by Empress Dowager Cixi. Kang continued to work for a more progressive Qing Empire while in exile, remaining loyal to the Guangxu Emperor and hoping eventually to restore him to power. His efforts would prove to be in vain. A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ...
Kang Youwei (Chinese: 康有為; March 19, 1858–March 31, 1927) was a Chinese scholar and political reformist. ...
Tan Sitong (Chinese:è°å—£åŒ, Courtesy: Fusheng å¤ç”Ÿ, Pseudonym Zhuangfei 壮飞; 1865—1898) was an eminent Chinese revolutionary in the late Qing Dynasty who was in support of liberal reform. ...
The Boxer Rebellion Main Article Boxer Rebellion Combatants Eight-Nation Alliance (ordered by contribution): Empire of Japan Russian Empire British Empire French Third Republic United States German Empire Kingdom of Italy Austro-Hungarian Empire Righteous Harmony Society Qing Dynasty (China) Commanders Edward Seymour Alfred Graf von Waldersee Ci Xi Strength 20,000 initially 49,000 total 50...
In 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi's support of the self-strengthening movement was again called into question when the Boxer Rebellion broke out in northern China. Eager to preserve traditional Chinese values, Empress Dowager Cixi threw in her lot with the rebels, making an official announcement of her support for the movement. When the Westerners responded by dispatching the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Chinese military, badly underdeveloped due to Empress Dowager Cixi's habit of filching military funds was unable to prevent the technologically-advanced Allied army from marching on Peking and seizing the Forbidden City. Cixi, along with the Guangxu Emperor and the Longyu Empress, embarked on a western trek to Xi'an as they fled the Forbidden City. Determined to prevent another Chinese rebellion, the Western powers imposed a humiliating treaty on China, and Empress Dowager Cixi, with no military forces capable of protecting even her own palace, was forced to sign. The treaty demanded the presence of an international military force in China and the payment of £67 million (almost $333 million) in war reparations. Military of the Powers during the Boxer Rebellion, with their naval flags, from left to right: Italy, United States, France, Austria-Hungary, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia. ...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
Xian redirects here. ...
GBP redirects here. ...
War reparations refer to the monetary compensation provided to a triumphant nation or coalition from a defeated nation or coalition. ...
Death and final resting place Empress Dowager Cixi died in the Middle Sea Hall of Graceful Bird (Chinese: 中海儀鸞殿) on November 15, 1908, after having installed Puyi as the new Emperor of the Qing Dynasty on November 14. Her death came only a day after the death of the Guangxu Emperor. Image File history File links Qing_Dong_Ling_Cixi's_Tomb. ...
is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
Puyi (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ) (February 7, 1906–October 17, 1967) of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro ruling family was the last Emperor of China between 1908 and 1924 (ruling as the Xuantong Emperor (宣統皇å¸) between 1908 and 1911, and non-ruling emperor between 1911 and 1924), the twelfth emperor of the...
Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ...
The Guangxu Emperor (August 14, 1871–November 14, 1908), born Zaitian (載湉), was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...
Empress Dowager Cixi was interred amidst the Eastern Qing Tombs (Chinese: 清東陵), 125 km (75 miles) east of Beijing, in the Dong Dingling (Chinese: 東定陵), along with Empress Dowager Ci'an. More precisely, Empress Dowager Ci'an lies in the Pu Xiang Yu Ding Dong Ling (Chinese: 普祥峪定東陵) (literally: the "Tomb East of the Ding Ling Tomb in the Vale of Wide Good Omen"), while Empress Dowager Cixi built herself the much larger Pu Tuo Yu Ding Dong Ling (Chinese: 菩陀峪定東陵) (literally: the "Tomb East of the Ding Ling Tomb in the Vale of Putuo"). The Dingling tomb (literally: the "Tomb of quietude") is the tomb of the Xianfeng Emperor, the spouse of Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi, which is located indeed west of the Ding Dong Ling. The Vale of Pu Tuo owes its name to Mount. Pu Tuo (literally: the "Mountain of the Dharani of the Site of the Buddha's Enlightenment"), at the foot of which the Dingdongling is located. The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
Empress Dowager Cixi, unsatisfied with her tomb, ordered its destruction and reconstruction in 1895. The new tomb was a lavish grandiose complex of temples, gates, and pavilions, covered with gold leaves, and with gold and gilded-bronze ornaments hanging from the beams and the eaves. In July 1928, Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb was occupied by warlord and Kuomintang general Sun Dianying and his army who methodically stripped the complex of its precious ornaments, then dynamited the entrance to the burial chamber, opened Empress Dowager Cixi's coffin, threw her corpse (said to have been found intact) on the floor, and stole all the jewels contained in the coffin, as well as the massive pearl that had been placed in Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth to protect her corpse from decomposing (in accordance with Chinese tradition). Urban legend states that the large pearl on Empress Dowager Cixi's crown was offered by Sun Dianying to Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek and ended up as an ornament on the gala shoes of Chiang's wife, the famous Soong May-ling. The Kuomintang of China (abbreviation KMT) [1], also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China (ROC), now on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of seats in the Legislative Yuan, and the oldest political party in the...
Sun Diangying (Traditional Chinese: å«æ®¿è‹±; Simplified Chinese: å™æ®¿è‹±; pinyin: Sun Dianying; Wade-Giles: Sun Tienying) (1887 - 1946) was one of the militant during the Warlord Era. ...
Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was the Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. ...
Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as the Madame Chiang Kai-shek (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; ca 1897 [1] – October 23, 2003) was the youngest of the three Soong sisters. ...
After 1949, the complex of Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb was restored by the People's Republic of China, and it is still today one of the most impressive imperial tombs of China.
Names of Empress Dowager Cixi
 The Room of Beautiful Scenery (Part of Empress Dowager Cixi's western Chu-Xiu Palace), inside which the Imperial Concubine Yi (the future Empress Dowager Cixi) gave birth to the future Tongzhi Emperor. The name by which she is most frequently known and the name used in most modern texts is simply Cixi, which is neither her birth name nor family name. It is an honorific name given to her in 1861 after her son ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Cixi's name at birth is not known, although a recent book published by one of Cixi's brother's descendants seems to suggest that it was Xingzhen (杏贞). The first occurrence of her name is at the time she entered the Forbidden City in September 1851, where she was recorded as "the Lady Yehenara, daughter of Huizheng" (Chinese: 惠征). Thus, she was called by her clan's name, the Yehe-Nara clan, as was customary for Manchu girls. On entering the Forbidden City, she was a preparative concubine (Chinese: 秀女). Image File history File links Cixi's_Palace. ...
Image File history File links Cixi's_Palace. ...
The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
The Yehe Nara, originally a Mongol clan, were a Manchu clan who ruled Yehe, one of the HÅ«lun Four States. ...
For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...
After her encounter with the Xianfeng Emperor, Yehenala (Empress Dowager Cixi) was made a concubine of the fifth rank Noble Person, a.k.a. Worthy Lady (Chinese: 貴人), and was given the name Yi (懿，meaning "good", "exemplary", "virtuous"). Her name was thus "Noble Person of Yi", or Worthy Lady Yi (Chinese: 懿貴人). At the end of December 1854 or the beginning of January 1855, she was promoted to concubine of the fourth rank, Imperial Concubine (Chinese: 嬪), so that her new name was Imperial Concubine Yi (Chinese: 懿嬪). The Xianfeng Emperor, born Yizhu, (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
On April 27, 1856, Yehenara gave birth to a son, the only son of Xianfeng, and was immediately made Imperial Consort Yi" (Chinese: 懿妃). Finally, in February 1857 she was again elevated and made "Noble Consort Yi" (Chinese: 懿貴妃). is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
The Xianfeng Emperor (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eigth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...
In the end of August 1861, following the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, her five-year-old son became the new Emperor, known as the Tongzhi Emperor. Empress Dowager Cixi, as biological mother of the new emperor, was officially made Divine Mother Empress Dowager (Chinese: 聖母皇太后). She was also given the honorific name Cixi (Chinese: 慈禧), meaning "Motherly and Auspicious". As for the Empress Consort, she was made "Mother Empress Dowager" (Chinese: 母后皇太后), a title giving her precedence over Empress Dowager Cixi, and she was given the honorific name Empress Dowager Ci'an (Chinese: 慈安)， meaning "Motherly and Calm". The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ...
The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
On 7 occasions after 1861, Empress Dowager Cixi was given additional honorific names (two Chinese characters at a time), as was customary for Emperors and Empresses, until by the end of her reign her name was a long string of 16 characters starting with Cixi (as Empress Dowager she had the right to nine additions, giving a total of 20 characters, had she lived long enough for it). At the end of her reign, her official name was:
- (Chinese: 大清國當今慈禧端佑康頤昭豫莊誠壽恭欽獻崇熙聖母皇太后)
which reads: "The Current Divine Mother Empress Dowager Ci-Xi Duan-You Kang-Yi Zhao-Yu Zhuang-Cheng Shou-Gong Qin-Xian Chong-Xi of the Great Qing Empire".
The short form was The Current Divine Mother Empress Dowager of the Great Qing Empire
(Chinese: 大清國當今聖母皇太后)
At the time, Empress Dowager Cixi was addressed as "Venerable Buddha" (Chinese: 老佛爺)，literally "Master Old Buddha", a term used for all the Emperors of the Qing Dynasty. At official and ceremonial occasions, the phrase Long Live the Empress Dowager for ten thousand years (Chinese: 大清國當今聖母皇太后萬歲萬歲萬萬歲), which is by convention, only used by Emperors. The convention for Empress Dowagers of imperial China was usually Long live for one thousand years. Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ...
At her death in 1908, Empress Dowager Cixi was given a posthumous name which combines the honorific names that she gained during her lifetime with new names added just after her death. This is the name that is usually used on official documents to refer to an Empress. This long form of the posthumous name is: Japanese name Kanji: Hiragana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quốc ngữ: Hán tự: A posthumous name (諡號) is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in some cultures after the persons death. ...
- (Chinese: 孝欽慈禧端佑康頤昭豫莊誠壽恭欽獻崇熙配天興聖顯皇太后),
which reads: Empress Xiao-Qin Ci-Xi Duan-You Kang-Yi Zhao-Yu Zhuang-Cheng Shou-Gong Qin-Xian Chong-Xi Pei-Tian Xing-Sheng Xian. This long name is still the one that can be seen on Cixi's tomb today. The short form of her posthumous name is: Empress Xiao Qin Xian (孝欽顯皇后).
Historical opinions
 One of the historical oil paintings by Western artists depicting Empress Dowager Cixi The traditional view of the Empress Dowager Cixi was that of a devious despot who contributed in no small part to China's slide into corruption, anarchy, and revolution. During Cixi's time, she used her power to accumulate vast quantities of money, bullion, antiques and jewelry, using the revenues of the state as her own. By the end of her reign she had amassed a huge personal fortune, stashing away some eight and a half million pounds sterling in London banks. The lavish palaces, gardens and lakes built by Cixi were hugely extravagant at a time when China was verging on bankruptcy.[14] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 425 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (433 × 611 pixel, file size: 621 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 425 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (433 × 611 pixel, file size: 621 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
Despotism is government by a singular authority, either a single person or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute power. ...
However, some authors maintain a far more positive view of the Empress Dowager, arguing that she has been unfairly maligned and when seen more closely, her actions were reasonable responses to the difficulties that China faced.
It is argued by some that one must not confuse the traditional Confucian idea widely held in Empress Dowager Cixi's day, that influential women caused trouble and were not to be trusted, with her frequent portrayal as a despot. While other powerful women of Chinese history, e.g. Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, are generally positively reassessed by modern historians, the negative views on Empress Dowager Cixi largely remain. A Confucian temple in Wuwei, Peoples Republic of China. ...
Wu Zetian (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (625 – December 16, 705), personal name Wu Zhao (æ¦æ›Œ), was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Emperor. ...
For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...
Katherine Carl Katherine Carl spent some ten months with the Empress Dowager Cixi in 1903 to paint her portrait for the St. Louis Exposition. Two years later she published a book about her experience, titled With the Empress Dowager. In the book's introduction, Katherine Carl says she wrote the book because "After I returned to America, I was constantly seeing in the newspapers (and hearing of) statements ascribed to me which I never made." Katherine Carl was an American painter and author who spent 10 months in China in 1903 painting a portrait of the Empress Dowager Cixi for the St. ...
Entrance to Creation Exhibit on the Pike Map of the St. ...
In her book, Katherine Carl describes the Empress Dowager Cixi as a kind and considerate woman for her station. Empress Dowager Cixi, though shrewd, had great presence, charm, and graceful movements resulting in "an unusually attractive personality". Carl wrote of the Dowager's love of dogs and of flowers, as well as boating, Chinese opera and her Chinese water pipes and European cigarettes. Carl also made note of Empress Dowager Cixi's loyalty, describing the case of "a Chinese woman who nursed Her Majesty through a long illness, about twenty-five years since, and saved her life by giving her mother's milk to drink. Her Majesty, who never forgets a favor, has always kept this woman in the Palace. Being a Chinese, she had bound feet. Her Majesty, who cannot bear to see them even, had her feet unbound and carefully treated, until now she can walk comfortably. Her Majesty has educated the son, who was an infant at the time of her illness, and whose natural nourishment she partook of. This young man is already a Secretary in a good yamen (government office)." Emperor Xuan-Zong of Tang (left) and his Consort Yang Yuhuan (right) portrayed in a Chinese Opera 19th century Chinese opera Chinese opera costumes Some athletic jump Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. ...
Lotus Feet redirects here. ...
Official Session in a Chinese Yamen, Guangzhou, before 1889. ...
Sterling Seagrave Seagrave argues[15] that most of the more sensational stories of Empress Dowager Cixi's life can be traced to the boasting, self-important "Wild Fox" Kang Youwei and his cronies, who having never having met the Empress Dowager, concocted stories of plots and poisonings and passed them on to the Western press. Many other "details" of her life are based on accounts by J.O.P. Bland and known forger Edmund Backhouse. As life in the Forbidden City remained a mystery for most Westerners, these stories created by Kang and Backhouse (some up to 30 years after the supposed events) were used by many 20th century historians to paint a misleading picture of the Empress Dowager. Kang Youwei (Chinese: 康有為; March 19, 1858–March 31, 1927) was a Chinese scholar and political reformist. ...
Sir Edmund Trelawny Backhouse, 2nd Baronet (20 October 1873 – 8 January 1944) was a British oriental scholar, linguist and black sheep of the Backhouse family whose work was very influential for the Western view of the last decades of the Chinese Empire but is most remembered for having forged most...
In contrast, Seagrave portrays Empress Dowager Cixi as a woman stuck between the xenophobic Ironhats faction, made up of Manchu nobility wanting to maintain Manchu dominance and remove Western influences from China at all cost, and more moderate influences trying to cope with China's problems on a more realistic footing, such as Prince Gong in her earlier days. The Empress Dowager, Seagrave argues, did not crave power but simply acted to balance these influences and protect the Dynasty as best she could.
Princess Der Ling Der Ling, whose Christian name was Elisabeth Antoinette, was born in Beijing in June 1885 and died in Berkeley, California in November 1944. She was the eldest daughter of Yu Keng, an official of the Chinese-Martial (hanjun) Plain White Banner, and his wife, Louisa Pierson, daughter of an American merchant in Shanghai and his Chinese consort. When Der Ling's father was recalled from Paris, where he had been Chinese minister, in 1903, Der Ling, her sister Rong Ling (later the wife of General Dan Paochao) and their mother were summoned by Cixi to become court ladies - something between ladies in waiting and translators/hostesses for when the Empress Dowager had foreign female guests from Beijing's Legation Quarter. Der Ling served at court from March 1903 till October 1905, and married an American, Thaddeus Cohu White, in 1907. After Cixi's death in 1908, Der Ling professed to be so angered by what she saw as false portraits of Cixi appearing in books and periodicals that she wrote her own account of serving "Old Buddha," which she called "Two Years in the Forbidden City." This book appeared in 1911, just before the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and was a popular success. In this book, Cixi is not the monster of depravity depicted in the popular press and in the second and third hand accounts left by foreigners who had lived in Beijing, but an aging woman who loved beautiful things, had many regrets about the past and the way she had dealt with the many crises of her long reign, and apparently trusted Der Ling enough to share many memories and opinions with her. It was clearly Cixi's favouritism toward Der Ling, including permitting her to wear a "princess button" on her hat, that prompted Der Ling in later years, when seeking an English equivalent to her office at court, to add "Princess" to her name, a move that undermined her credibility in China even as it drove up her stock when she went before the American public in the 1920s to give lectures about life at court with the semi-legendary Cixi. Der Ling ultimately wrote a full-length biography of Cixi titled 'Old Buddha.'
Der Ling would go on to write seven more books about this relatively brief period in her youth when she had been close to the centre of failing imperial Chinese power, and sharing this personal history and her habit of promoting herself and her writings caused most of her family to turn against her. All of this has made it difficult to assess Der Ling's contribution to late Qing historiography. But the fact remains that she was the first woman of Cixi's own ethnic background to live with and observe her and then write about what it was like; if many of Der Ling's recollections smack of the every day minutiae of a court that throve on details and form, her writings are no less valuable for focusing on them, particularly as life within the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace was a closed book for most people in China, let alone in the rest of the world. It was misunderstanding of much of what emanated from the throne that created so many of the problems Cixi has been wholly blamed for.
Starting with Sterling Seagrave's biography of Cixi, 'Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China,'Der Ling and her reminiscences of the imperial court have been rehabilitated in recent years, in tandem with reassessments of the Empress Dowager herself. In January 2008, Hong Kong University Press published the first biography of Der Ling, 'Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling'.[16]
Other sources Another sympathetic account can be found in Anchee Min's historical novels Empress Orchid (2004) and The Last Empress (2005), and she appears frequently in ceremonies described in the diaries of Sir Ernest Satow for 1900-06 when Satow was British envoy in Peking. Anchee Min (é–”å®‰çª born 1957) is a painter, photographer, musician, and author who lives in Los Angeles and Shanghai. ...
Sir Ernest Mason Satow, G.C.M.G., P.C. (1843-1929), a British scholar-diplomat born to an ethnically German father (Hans David Christoph Satow, born in Swedish-occupied Wismar, naturalised British in 1846) and an English mother (Margaret, nee Mason) in Clapton, North London, and educated at Mill...
The China Central Television production Towards the Republic portrayed Empress Dowager Cixi as a capable ruler, albeit not entirely positive, for the first time in the history of Mainland Chinese television, although it also clearly demonstrated her political views as very conservative. China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is the major television broadcaster in Mainland China. ...
Towards the Republic (èµ°å‘共和) is a 60-episode Chinese television series produced by CCTV and subsequently banned by the Chinese government for portraying certain characters (i. ...
Pearl S. Buck's novel Imperial Woman chronicles the life of the Empress Dowager from the time of her selection as a concubine until near to her death. Empress Dowager Cixi is portrayed as a stern, motivated woman who stands to the old ways of life and government and resists the changes brought by westerners. Empress Dowager Cixi's actions on behalf of the two Emperors that she raised and her own actions are all accounted for and rationalized as being for the good of her people and her country. Pearl Sydenstricker Buck, most familiarly known as Pearl S. Buck (birth name Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker; Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) (June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973), was a prolific American writer and Nobel Prize winner. ...
Imperial Woman is a novel by Pearl S. Buck first published in 1956. ...
Succession The Empress Dowager Cian (Chinese: 慈安皇太åŽ) 1837 - April 8, 1881, popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager (Chinese: 东太åŽ), before she was widowed known as Empress Zhen (Chinese: 贞皇åŽ), and officially known posthumously as the Xiaozhen Empress (Chinese: å贞显皇åŽ), was the second Empress Consort of the Xian Feng Emperor (b. ...
// The Jia Shun Empress Alute (Chinese: 嘉顺皇åŽé˜¿é²ç‰¹æ° 1854 - 1875 aka Empress Xiao Zhe Yi (Chinese: å哲毅皇åŽ) was the Empress Consort of the Tong Zhi Emperor of China. ...
In Popular Culture Empress Orchid (2004) is a novel by Anchee Min which was first published in Great Britain in 2004. ...
The Last Empress (Hangul: 뮤지컬 명성황후) is a musical produced by Arts Communication (A-Com) in 1997. ...
Anchee Min (é–”å®‰çª born 1957) is a painter, photographer, musician, and author who lives in Los Angeles and Shanghai. ...
The Singapore Repertory Theatre at Merbau Road, Robertson Quay The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) was founded in 1993, and is one of the leading English language theatres in Asia. ...
George MacDonald Fraser George MacDonald Fraser OBE (born 2 April 1925 in Carlisle, England) is an Anglo-Scots writer. ...
Flashman and the Dragon is a 1986 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. ...
Lisa Lu (born December 5, 1931 in Peiping, China) is a Chinese-American actress and documentary producer. ...
This article is about the year 1987. ...
For the rapper, see Last Emperor. ...
References - Chung, Sue Fawn. "The Much Maligned Empress Dowager: A Revisionist Study of the Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi (1835-1908)." Modern Asian Studies 13, no. 2 (1979): 177-96.
- Hummel, Arthur William, ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). 2 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1943.
- Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress: Life and Times of Tz'u-hsi 1835-1908. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1972.
- 雷家聖（Lei Chiasheng）《力挽狂瀾－戊戌政變新探》，台北：萬卷樓，2004 ISBN 957-739-507-4
Notes - ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 38
- ^ Chung, S.F, The Much Maligned Empress Dowager, p. 3.
- ^ Laidler, Keith (2003), The Last Empress (p. 58), John Wiley & Sons Inc., ISBN 0-470-84881-2.
- ^ Immanual Hsu (1985), The Rise of Modern China (pg. 215).
- ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 44
- ^ [Sui Lijuan: Carrying out the Coup. CCTV-10 Series on Cixi, Ep. 4]
- ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 45
- ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 45
- ^ 清史稿：恭忠亲王奕䜣，宣宗第六子
- ^ 清史稿：恭忠亲王奕䜣传记载：“王入谢，痛哭引咎”。
- ^ [Professor Sui Lijuang: Lecture Room Series on Cixi, Episode 9]
- ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 49
- ^ 清德宗实录
- ^ Edward Behr, The Last Emperor, 1987, p. 51
- ^ Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China by Sterling Seagrave, Vintage Books, New York, 1992 ISBN 0-679-73369-8.
- ^ Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling, by Grant Hayter-Menzies [ISBN 978-962-209-881-7], Hong Kong University Press, January 2008
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