Empress Dowager Cixi

Lore & Background

Empress Dowager Cixi was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan, born Xingzhen on 29 November 1835 in Beijing. Her father, Huizheng, was a member of the Bordered Blue Banner and held the title of a third class duke. She had a sister named Wanzhen and a brother named Guixiang. In 1851, she was selected as a concubine for the Xianfeng Emperor, entering the Forbidden City in 1852 as Noble Lady Lan. She was later elevated to Concubine Yi in 1854, and after giving birth to the emperor’s only surviving son, Zaichun, in 1856, she became Consort Yi and then Noble Consort Yi in 1857, placing her second in the harem after the empress. Unusually among Manchu women, she could read and write Chinese, which allowed her to assist the ailing Xianfeng Emperor by reading palace memorials and leaving instructions according to his will, giving her early insight into state governance. After Xianfeng’s death in 1861, she became co-empress dowager with Empress Dowager Ci’an, and together they ousted the eight regents appointed by the late emperor. Cixi later installed her nephew as the Guangxu Emperor in 1875 and continued as regent after Ci’an’s death in 1881. She oversaw the Tongzhi Restoration, rejecting Western political institutions while supporting technological and military modernization. In 1898, she suppressed the Hundred Days’ Reform, placed the Guangxu Emperor under house arrest, and likely had him murdered by arsenic poisoning. During the Boxer Rebellion, she initially supported the Boxers and declared war on foreign powers, leading to the occupation of Beijing and her flight to Xi’an. After the Boxer Protocol, she initiated reforms toward constitutional monarchy. She died in November 1908, two days after the Guangxu Emperor, leaving power to conservative regents. Her legacy is contested; some revisionist historians argue she was scapegoated for structural problems and credit her with pragmatic reform, maintaining political order under imperialist pressure, and supporting institutions like the Beiyang Army and Peking University.

Reader's Guide

Cixi’s behaviour and political acumen were shaped by her early entry into the imperial harem, where she distinguished herself by her literacy in Chinese, a rare skill among Manchu consorts. This allowed the ailing Xianfeng Emperor to delegate reading of palace memorials and drafting of instructions to her, giving her intimate knowledge of statecraft. After his death, she and Empress Dowager Ci'an orchestrated the ousting of the eight regents appointed by the late emperor, seizing joint regency. Cixi further consolidated power by installing her nephew as the Guangxu Emperor upon the death of her son, the Tongzhi Emperor, and became sole regent after Ci'an’s death. Ecologically, her rule oversaw the Tongzhi Restoration, a period of selective modernization that rejected Western political systems while embracing technological and military reforms. Her suppression of the Hundred Days’ Reform in 1898 led to the Guangxu Emperor’s house arrest and his eventual death, likely by arsenic poisoning, though no reliable source confirms the perpetrator. During the Boxer Rebellion, she initially backed the Boxers and declared war on foreign powers, resulting in the Eight-Nation Alliance’s occupation of Beijing and her flight to Xi’an. The humiliating Boxer Protocol pushed the Qing toward collapse, prompting her to initiate constitutional monarchy reforms. Cixi’s legacy is contested: while often seen as a ruthless reactionary, revisionist historians argue she was scapegoated for structural crises, crediting her with pragmatic reform, maintaining order under imperialist pressure, and supporting institutions like the Beiyang Army and Peking University. Her death in 1908 left power with conservative regents in a deeply divided society.

Did You Know?

• Cixi was born in Beijing, not in the provinces, according to palace archives.
• She was known for her ability to read and write Chinese, a rare skill among Manchu women in the imperial household.
• She likely had the Guangxu Emperor murdered by arsenic poisoning, though no reliable sources confirm this.
• After the Boxer Rebellion, she initiated reforms aimed at establishing a constitutional monarchy.