Historical Records of the Harem of Empress Dowager Cixi

Author: (American) De Lin, translated by Shen Zi, Lin Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: Empress Dowager Cixi (1835—1908), also known as Yehe Nara and Western Empress Dowager, was a consort of the Xianfeng Emperor. In 1861, her six-year-old son, Zaitian, ascended the throne, and Yehe Nara was honored as Empress Dowager. In 1875, Zaitian died, and five-year-old Zaitian was chosen as the successor. Empress Dowager Cixi was the actual ruler of the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns, holding power for 48 years in total. China under Cixi's rule was an era of internal turmoil and external hardships, a time of fierce storms. However, she firmly grasped the highest ruling power of the Qing Dynasty, and her reign lasted as long as only Kangxi and Qianlong could compare.