Speak of the Bodhisattva of Compassion

Author: Xu Che
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Empress Dowager Cixi is a historically renowned figure in China and even the world. Some modern essays, notes, and unofficial historical accounts contain sensational and bizarre claims about her, making it difficult to distinguish truth from fiction. This book approaches the subject from a "straightforward" perspective, striving to authentically portray the main aspects of Empress Dowager Cixi's life. The book is rich in content and illustrated, making it an enjoyable and accessible biography for both scholars and general readers. Empress Dowager Cixi is a historically renowned figure in China and even the world. She was born in 1835 and died in 1908 at the age of 74, having lived through the reigns of the Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu emperors. She supported three young emperors: the Tongzhi Emperor Zaitian, the Guangxu Emperor Zaiyi, and the Xuantong Emperor Puyi. During the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns, she presided over the court behind a screen three times. The first time she presided behind the screen was from the eleventh year of the Xianfeng era (1861) to the twelfth year of the Tongzhi era (1873), lasting 13 years; the second time was from the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi era (1875) to the fifteenth year of the Guangxu era (1889), lasting 15 years; and the third time was from the twenty-fourth year of the Guangxu era (1898) to the thirty-fourth year of the Guangxu era (1908), lasting 10 years. During her 48 years on the throne, she spent 38 years presiding behind the screen. The remaining 10 years, although she returned power to the Guangxu Emperor, she still secretly controlled the court. Major decisions still had to be made by her, making it an "unofficial" screen-presiding period. In fact, Empress Dowager Cixi ruled China for nearly half a century. The era she lived in was one of unprecedented upheaval in China's thousands of years of history. It was a time when foreign powers encircled and gradually weakened China, as well as a time when the Chinese people rose up in resistance and reached out to the world. The late Qing society she experienced was almost equivalent to the entire modern history of China. She witnessed major historical events such as the Second Opium War, the Taiping Rebellion, the Sino-French War, the Sino-Japanese War, the Hundred Days' Reform, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Late Qing New Policies. It can be said that Empress Dowager Cixi's life was intertwined with the late Qing society. Due to various historical reasons, some modern essays, notes, and unofficial historical accounts contain sensational and bizarre claims about Empress Dowager Cixi. Many mysteries have shrouded her life. For example: Was Empress Dowager Cixi from Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Zhejiang, Gansu, Shanxi, or Beijing? How did she gain the favor of the Xianfeng Emperor? How did she successfully launch a palace coup? How did she force Empress Xiaozhuang to commit suicide? How did she execute two high ministers? Did she poison Empress Cian? How did she skillfully contend with Yi Keng? Was she involved with Li Lianying? How did she kill Consort Zhen? Did she kill the Guangxu Emperor? Some of these mysteries have been accepted as facts, fictionalized by writers, and turned into novels and films, spreading widely and becoming deeply ingrained in popular belief, making it difficult to distinguish truth from fiction. Some even been accepted by certain historians and used as references, turning into unresolved historical fabrications. In reality, many rumors about Empress Dowager Cixi are not reliable historical accounts. This book presents a straightforward account of Empress Dowager Cixi, aiming to portray a figure close to historical reality.