Chinese Empress Cixi: biography and photos

History knows several examples of how ordinary concubines not only became sultans, queens or empresses, but also ruled with their spouses or even alone. One of these legendary women is Xiaoda Lanhua. She is better known as Empress Cixi, whom the people called the Dragon for bloodlust and cruelty.

Childhood

The future Empress of China Cixi was born in November 1835 in the family of one of the Manchurian mandarins. Her mother was Tung Jia, whom the people around her called Ms. Hoy. At the age of 8, Xiaoda, Lanhua, together with her family, left Beijing for a new duty as a father. At the same time, because of the status of their parents, the girl was registered as a candidate for the Emperor's concubus upon reaching adulthood. According to the custom of that time, she could not get married until the ruler of the Celestial Empire decided that she did not want to see her in her palace.

"Precious people"

In January 1853, the courtyard of Emperor Xianfing, who at that time was already 22 years old, announced a competition for concubines. In total, it was necessary to select 70 girls aged 14-20, whose fathers belonged to the first three ranks of the bureaucratic hierarchy. At the same time, preference was given to those girls whose 8 dates were recognized as favorable.

Xiaoda Lanhua successfully passed the competition and entered the "Closed City" in Beijing. In the palace, she was in the 5th, the lowest rank of the concubines of "Guiyren" ("Precious People"), and she was called by the name of her Manchu clan Yenar.

Career in the palace

In 1854, the future Empress Cixi received the rank of concubine of the 4th class, and in 1856 - the third. Being by nature an extremely smart and ambitious girl, Ehenar became friends with the young Empress Tzyan. According to legend, this was facilitated by the fact that, after learning about the upcoming attempt on the wife of the Son of Heaven, the concubine prevented her mistress from drinking from a glass in which there was poison.

The Empress was barren, which left a lot of uneasiness to the whole court. According to the palace customs, the husband invited her to choose a concubine for the continuation of the family. Tsiyan, without thinking twice, named the name of her faithful confidante. Thus, Yehanara received the status of "Precious Concubine" and began to meet frequently with the ruler of the Celestial Empire.

"Family life"

There was no such thing in the palace at all. Moreover, it is known that the emperor preferred Chinese servants to the Manchurks, so Yehanar, who had nothing to fear from the competition of Empress Tsy'an, was keen to see that the girls he liked disappeared without a trace from the palace. According to legend, after the loss of one of the Chinese an angry emperor summoned the Precious concubine to himself, as they say, on the carpet. However, she arranged a performance with tears and pleas, and in the end stated that she was pregnant. This news delighted the courtyard, but many began to doubt, since the Son of the Sky suffered the strongest opium dependence and, according to doctors, only a miracle could help him conceive a child.

The birth of a son

In 1856, Yehanar produced a boy, who was named Tszaychun. There were rumors that in fact she played a pregnancy and simulated childbirth, having given out to the imperial son a servant girl Chuin.

Be that as it may, becoming the mother of the heir, Yehanar gained a huge weight at court, especially since over time the seriously ill emperor began to transfer her more and more powers. Thus, she gradually became the actual ruler of the Celestial Empire.

Dowager Empress Cixi

On August 22, 1861, the Son of Heaven emanated the spirit. Immediately unfolded a fierce struggle for succession to the throne. Childless Empress Tsyuan was considered the main wife. According to the existing custom, it automatically received a high title of "Huantai-hou." However, the very next day after the death of Xianfeng Yehanar in the course of a stubborn behind-the-scenes struggle, she achieved the title of Dowager Empress and chose the new name Cixi, which translates as "Merciful". At the same time, Tsiyan was not a competitor to her, although she had a formal primacy.

Regency

Political power by law equally belonged to both empresses. However, soon Qian transferred the reins of government to her former concubine friend and began to lead a secluded lifestyle. Despite this, in 1881 she died of poisoning. Immediately there were rumors about the involvement in her death Cixi, as it became known that a couple of hours before her death, she sent the Empress Dowager rice cakes.

Even if they were groundless, the death of the eldest widow of Xianfeng made Cixi the sole regent ruler. And in this status, she could remain up to the 17th birthday of Prince Zaichun. By the way, her son was not interested in much, and she did not give time to his upbringing. As a result, the teenager indulged in orgies, and at a very young age he was diagnosed with a venereal disease.

"Voluntary resignation"

When the son reached adulthood, the Chinese Empress Cixi behaved extremely circumspectly. This wise and calculating woman issued a decree in which she informed everyone that her regency was over, and she transferred all power in the state to the heir. At the same time, she was not going to retire, especially since she was well aware that the young ruler was not in a position to rule the country, and he had big health problems.

Death of the heir

Empress Cixi, the photo of which was presented above, did not remain in the works for long. A year later, Zhaichun told the people that he had become infected with smallpox. At that time in China it was considered that the survivor of this disease was blessed by the gods, so the message was received by all with joy. However, the young man's body was already weakened by a venereal disease, and two weeks later he died.

The second regency

It would seem that the death of the son should cause the former concubine to retire from the affairs and mourn his grief, especially since her pregnant daughter-in-law also "unexpectedly" died long before the birth. However, Empress Cixi was not going to release the reins from her hands. She did everything to the new heir was chosen 4-year-old Tszaityan - the son of Prince Chun and her own sister Wangzhen. Thus, the future emperor was nephew Cixi, to whom she also became an adoptive mother. As was to be expected, the dowager empress ruled the country until the boy's majority, and no important issue was resolved without her participation.

Beginning of Guangxu rule

Unlike Cixi's son, the heir was ambitious enough, and the woman understood that she would have to work hard to hold power in her hands over the court and China.

However, Cixi tried not to break the traditions, and when in 1886 the emperor, who had chosen the August name of Guangxi, turned 19, announced that he was now free from custody and retired to his palace. At the same time she vigilantly followed the affairs in the country and at the court, and also controlled the actions of the Son of Heaven. To facilitate this task, in March 1889, the Dowager Empress of China Cixi personally chose for his wife the daughter of his brother, General Gui Xian Lun-Yu. Thus, its Manchu clan became the most powerful clan in the Closed City and had no competitors.

Conflict with the young emperor

At the beginning of 1898 it became clear that Guangxu sympathizes with the supporters of reforms. At first, the Empress Dowager considered this a pampering. However, she was soon informed of the rapprochement of Guangxi with the famous scientist and politician Kang Yuwei and familiarization with his memorandums. The result of the communication between the young ruler and the leader of the reformers was the so-called "Hundred Days of Reform". Within three months, the emperor issued 42 decrees on the modernization of the education system and the army, on the purchase of new agricultural machinery abroad, on the construction of railways, the improvement of cities,

A failed conspiracy

Moreover, the emperor received the famous general Yuan Shikai in the palace. Cixi felt that there was a military coup in the air, and began to take steps to keep the situation under control.

Her suspicions were not groundless, as the young emperor really shared with Yuan Shikai a plan according to which the reformers were going to arrest the Dowager Empress and execute her most loyal associates. Although the general promised to serve Guangxi faithfully and truthfully, feeling the danger of arrest, he disclosed the plans of the conspirators to the relative of Cixi - General Ronglu, who is the commander of the troops of the capital district. The latter reported everything to the empress. Furious Cixi went to the palace and demanded the renunciation of Guangxu from the throne.

September 21, 1898 the emperor was taken to the island of Yintai, which was within the boundaries of the Forbidden City, and was placed under house arrest. Cixi forbade him access to all intimates, including his beloved concubine Zhen Fay, and eunuchs serving the emperor, were to be replaced every day, so that any of them did not begin to feed sympathy for the royal prisoner.

Ihatuan uprising

The events taking place inside the Forbidden City temporarily diverted the Empress from the explosive situation in the country. And there was something to worry about, since the Ih-Tuan uprising began in China . His leaders demanded the preservation of patriarchal way of life and the expulsion of Europeans, which was in full agreement with Cixi's views. At the same time, they fought against the Manchus, who had ruled China for more than one century.

At the beginning of the Iththuan uprising, the Empress issued a decree that supported the insurgents. She even appointed a reward for every killed foreigner. In addition, when the so-called siege of the embassy quarter began on June 20, 1900, the Empress took no steps to protect the diplomats and 3000 Chinese Christians there, and the next day she openly declared war on the Alliance, which included, among other things, the Russian Empire.

Escape

The open challenge thrown by the world's most powerful military powers at the time (the Kingdom of Italy, the United States, France, Austria-Hungary, Japan, the German Empire, Russia and the United Kingdom) was an unreasonable step. Immediately after this, the intervention of foreign troops began, and on August 13, 1900, they approached Beijing.

These were the most difficult days in the life of Empress Cixi. She immediately forgot about her vows never to leave the capital and began to prepare for flight. Realizing that the emperor Guangxi can be used by enemies against her, Empress Cixi, whose biography is read as an interesting novel, decided to take him with her to Taiyuan City. The cunning woman decided to stay there until the situation in the capital is normalized and begin negotiations with the winners. She had a plan and in case of inability to find a common language with the leaders of the Alliance. He was in flight to Xian, where with the beginning of the fall due to weather conditions, the interventionist forces could hardly have reached.

In order to get to Taiyuan without hindrance, Cixi ordered to trim herself and the most faithful concubines of her nails, to change into simple clothes, and tie her hair in bundles, like common people.

Since the main concubine of Guangxu too actively begged to leave her along with her beloved in Beijing, the Empress Dowager ordered to throw the young woman into a well near the palace of Tranquility and Longevity.

Conversation

While the motorcade of the Empress was moving towards Xi'an, in the capital on her behalf was negotiating Li Hongzhang. He informed the leadership of the Alliance that there was a misunderstanding and Cixi asked European countries to help her in suppressing the uprising of theirs. Already on September 7, 1901, the Final Protocol was signed, and the Empress went home. She was so glad that everything was settled, that, having arrived in the city of Weifang, she celebrated her 66th birthday with great pomp.

last years of life

After returning to the capital, the Empress Cixi became familiar with life, although she could no longer exert much influence on the life of the Chinese outside the Forbidden City. Before her last gasp, the cruel dictator hated Emperor Guangxi. When the woman felt that her days were numbered, she ordered to poison him with arsenic. Thus, the penultimate emperor of China died on November 14, 1908, and the next day the world learned that Cixi (empress) had died.

The Sexual Life of the Empress

Despite the rumors about her connections with men, Cixi is not aware of any favorites. Thus, either the woman skillfully concealed her connections, or she had other interests. The only more or less plausible story is connected with the birth of Guangxi. In particular, some historians believe that he is the son of Cixi from one of the courtiers whom she gave to her sister for education.

In art

The first film about the Chinese Empress Cixi was filmed in 1975 in Hong Kong. The main role in the film was played by American actress Lisa Lou. Then another film with the same name appeared on the screens (1989). The history of the Empress-Dragon has formed the basis for several literary works. And books about her life were published in our country. In Russian, at the moment, Tszyun Cham's novel "Empress Cixi. Concubine that changed the fate of China. " Her adventures are also told in the works of Anchi Ming and Pearl Buck.