Cixi | Biography & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

Cixi, Wade-Giles romanization Tz'u-hsi, also called Xitaihou or Xiaoqin Xianhuanghou, byname Empress Dowager, (born November 29, 1835, Beijing, China—died ... Cixi TableofContents Cixi Introduction&TopQuestions FastFacts 2-MinSummary Facts&RelatedContent Quizzes Media Images More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory RelatedBiographies LiuKunyi Chineseofficial HongXiuquan Chineseprophetandrebel ZhouEnlai premierofChina HuShih Chineseleaderandscholar SeeAll Home Politics,Law&Government WorldLeaders Kings Cixi empressdowagerofChina Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. 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Cixi-Children'sEncyclopedia(Ages8-11) Cixi-StudentEncyclopedia(Ages11andup) Alternatetitles:EmpressDowager,TheDragonLady,Tz’u-hsi,XiaoqinXianhuanghou,Xitaihou,Yehenara By TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica • EditHistory TableofContents Cixi Seeallmedia Born: November29,1835 Beijing China ...(Showmore) Died: November15,1908(aged72) Beijing China ...(Showmore) NotableFamilyMembers: sonTongzhi ...(Showmore) RoleIn: BoxerRebellion SiegeoftheInternationalLegations ...(Showmore) Seeallrelatedcontent→ TopQuestionsWhyisCixiimportant?CixiwasoneofthemostpowerfulwomeninthehistoryofChina,activefromthe1860sintothe1900s.AsmotheroradoptivemotheroftwoChineseemperors,sheactedasregentbeforetheywereofageandcontinuedtowieldconsiderableinfluenceoverChinaaftertheyformallyassumedpower.HowdidCixicometopower?CixiwasaconcubineoftheChineseemperorXianfengandborehimhisonlyson.UponXianfeng’sdeathin1861,theirsix-year-oldsonbecameemperor,andCixi,aftersomepoliticalmaneuvering,becameco-regent.ThiswasthebeginningofseveraldecadesinwhichCixihadsignificantinfluenceonChina’saffairs.WhereisCixiburied?CixiisburiedintheEasternQingTombs,animperialburialgroundlocatednortheastofBeijing,China.Summary Readabriefsummaryofthistopic Cixi,Wade-GilesromanizationTz’u-hsi,alsocalledXitaihouorXiaoqinXianhuanghou,bynameEmpressDowager,(bornNovember29,1835,Beijing,China—diedNovember15,1908,Beijing),consortoftheXianfengemperor(reigned1850–61),motheroftheTongzhiemperor(reigned1861–75),adoptivemotheroftheGuangxuemperor(reigned1875–1908),andatoweringpresenceovertheChineseempireforalmosthalfacentury.BymaintainingauthorityovertheManchuimperialhouse(Qingdynasty,1644–1911/12),shebecameoneofthemostpowerfulwomeninthehistoryofChina.CixiwasoneoftheXianfengemperor’slow-rankingconcubines,butin1856sheborehisonlyson.OnXianfeng’sdeath,thesix-year-oldboybecametheTongzhiemperor,andstatebusinesswasputinthehandsofaregencycouncilofeightelderofficials.Afewmonthslater,afterCixiandXianfeng’sformerseniorconsort,Ci’an,orchestratedacoupwithGongQinwang(PrinceGong),theformeremperor’sbrother,theregencywastransferredtoCixiandCi’an.Gongbecametheprincecounsellor. BritannicaQuiz WomeninPowerQuiz Empresses,queens,primeministers,andmore—throughouthistorytherehavebeenmanynotablewomeninpositionsofpower.Takethisquiztofindoutmoreaboutthem. Underthistriumviralrule,thegovernmententeredatemporaryperiodofrevitalization.ThegreatTaipingRebellion(1850–64),whichhaddevastatedSouthChina,wasquelled,aswastheNianRebellion(1853–68)inthenorthernprovinces.Schoolswerecreatedforthestudyofforeignlanguages,amoderncustomsservicewasinstituted,Western-stylearsenalswereconstructed,andthefirstChineseforeignserviceofficewasinstalled.Internally,aneffortwasmadetoendgovernmentalcorruptionandtorecruitmenoftalent.Althoughtheregencywasterminatedin1873aftertheTongzhiemperorattainedmaturity,Cixi’sinvolvementinstateaffairscontinued.SoonafterTongzhi’sdeathin1875,Cixiarrangedtoadoptherthree-year-oldnephew,Zaitian,andhavehimnamedthenewheir;hebecametheGuangxuemperor.Thetwoempressdowagerscontinuedtoactasregents,but,afterCi’an’ssuddendeathin1881,Cixibecamethesoleholderoftheoffice.ThreeyearslatershedismissedPrinceGong.In1889,astheyoungGuangxuemperorformallyassumedpower,CixinominallyrelinquishedcontroloverthegovernmenttoretiretothemagnificentsummerpalaceshehadrebuiltnorthwestofBeijing.However,in1898,afewyearsaftertheshockingdefeatoftheChineseforcesintheSino-JapaneseWar(1894–95),theGuangxuemperor,undertheinfluenceofagroupofreformers,putthroughanumberofradicalproposalsdesignedtorenovateandmodernizetheChinesegovernmentandtoeliminatecorruption.(SeeHundredDaysofReform.)Conservativeofficials,whoagainusedthemilitarytoinstituteacoup,collectedaroundCixi.Thenewreformswerereversed,andCixiresumedtheregency.MosthistoriansbelievethatChina’slastchanceforpeacefulchangethusended.ThefollowingyearCixibegantobackthoseofficialswhowereencouragingtheanti-foreignBoxerrebels.In1900theBoxerRebellionreacheditspeak;some100foreignerswerekilled,andtheforeignlegationsinBeijingweresurrounded.However,acoalitionofforeigntroopssooncapturedthecapital,andCixiwasforcedtofleethecityandaccepthumiliatingpeaceterms.ReturningtoBeijingin1902,shefinallybegantoimplementmanyoftheinnovationsthathadbeenreversedin1898,althoughtheGuangxuemperornolongerparticipatedinthegovernment.Uponherdeathin1908,deathriteswereobservedforayear,afterwhichshewaslaidtorestintheEasternQingtombsnorthwestofBeijing. NewfromBritannica ThemanwhocreatedcomicbookheroWonderWomanandherLassoofTruthalsoinventedthereal-lifelie-detectingpolygraphtest. SeeAllGoodFacts ThedaybeforeCixidied,Guangxu’sdeathwasannounced.Sincethenitwasgenerallybelievedthattheemperorhadbeenpoisoned,butthatfactwasnotsubstantiateduntil2008whenareportwasissuedbyChineseresearchersandpoliceofficialsconfirmingthattheemperorhadbeendeliberatelypoisonedwitharsenic.Althoughthereportdidnotaddresswhomayhaveorderedhisdeath—andthereneverhasbeenanyhardevidenceofculpability—suspicionlonghaspointedtowardtheEmpressDowager. TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica ThisarticlewasmostrecentlyrevisedandupdatedbyAmyMcKenna.