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Learn about the life and legacy of Cixi, the powerful Manchu noblewoman who controlled the Qing dynasty for almost 50 years. Find out how she rose to power, reformed the government, suppressed the Boxer Rebellion, and faced the challenges of modernization and foreign invasion.
Aug 14, 2024 · Cixi was a powerful and influential woman who ruled China for almost half a century as the consort, mother, and adoptive mother of three emperors. She oversaw the Qing dynasty's response to foreign threats, internal reforms, and the Boxer Rebellion.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Cixi was one of the most powerful women in the history of China, active from the 1860s into the 1900s. As mother or adoptive mother of two Chinese...
- Cixi was a concubine of the Chinese emperor Xianfeng and bore him his only son. Upon Xianfeng’s death in 1861, their six-year-old son became empero...
- Cixi is buried in the Eastern Qing Tombs, an imperial burial ground located northeast of Beijing, China.
Learn how Cixi rose from a low-ranking concubine to become the most powerful woman in China, ruling as the empress dowager from 1861 to 1908. Discover how she balanced tradition and reform, faced foreign threats, and shaped China's fate in the modern age.
- Opinion on This Mysterious Ruler Is Divided
- Early Life
- Reign
- Learn More About Cixi and Imperial Life in China
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People say that she ruled behind the screens somehow, and people around her died mysteriously. A lot of mystery surrounds her life. What is true or false about the myths and legends about her is perhaps impossible to determine. Her life was hidden behind the screens, and she never really came out. Many people in the early 20th century after she was...
Cixi was born to a Manchu family on November 29, 1835 in Beijing, at a time when the Qing empire (1644–1912) still seemed to have a lot of strength. When she was 16, she was sent to be a concubine. This means that she had sex with the emperor at his request. She was one of dozens or hundreds of concubines for Emperor Xianfeng early in the 19th cent...
Cixi was an honorific name meaning 'Kind Joy' given to her when Emperor Xianfeng died and she became the regent with her young son as emperor. It is said that at birth, she was called Yu Lan or 'Little Orchid', however her true name remains unconfirmed. She had come to power in a world where poisonings and assassinations were common. It was either ...
The Forbidden City, Summer Palace are the two best places to explore life of dowager Cixi, as she spent her whole life in these two places. Forbidden City and Summer Palace are two of the most famous attractions in Beijing. They are included in almost every tour itinerary to Beijing. See China our Beijing tours.
Learn about Cixi, the powerful woman who ruled behind the screens of two Qing emperors for 47 years. Discover her role in the Taiping Rebellion, the Boxer Rebellion, and the fall of the empire.
Learn about the life and reign of China's last empress, who controlled the throne for almost half a century. Explore the myths and facts of her rise to power, her role in the Boxer Rebellion and her legacy.
Jul 3, 2019 · Learn about the life and legacy of Cixi, the last empress of China's Qing Dynasty. She was a survivor, a regent, and a controversial figure in Chinese history.
Feb 3, 2022 · Learn about the life and legacy of Cixi, who ruled China as regent for two emperors and opened the country to Western influences. Discover how she staged coups, ousted opponents and may have poisoned her nephew.
