Empress Dowager Cixi, the ruler of the late Qing Dynasty, lived a life of unprecedented luxury. Under her rule, Emperor Guangxu was nothing more than a shield controlled by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Emperor Guangxu had no real power, and all power was firmly in the hands of the Empress Dowager Cixi. And the Empress Dowager Cixi lived an extremely comfortable and comfortable life.
At that time, the Qing Dynasty was fully decayed and backward, but the Empress Dowager Cixi lived a richer life than the gods in this world. Her extravagance is staggering. How did the Empress Dowager Cixi squander the Qing Empire to the point of decay?
In that backward Qing Dynasty, for many people, it was a rare happiness to be able to eat and clothe themselves. However, the Empress Dowager Cixi was the opposite, she did not really appreciate the suffering of the people, but indulged in her own luxurious life. Her 60th birthday celebration cost as much as 1,000 taels**. This huge amount of expenditure undoubtedly exposes her extremely extravagant lifestyle. The Empress Dowager Cixi has extremely high requirements for the quality of life, even if it is a subtle accessory like shoes, it must be inlaid with gold thread to show dignity and luxury.
The Empress Dowager Cixi's love and attention to tea can be said to have reached the extreme. In summer, she prefers chrysanthemum tea to relieve the heat, and in the cold winter, she chooses papaya tea to warm her body and mind. Amazingly, the Empress Dowager Cixi was also extremely picky about the water used to make tea, and she insisted on using the freshly retrieved spring water of the snow mountain that day. Such sophistication and extravagance are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Every time the Empress Dowager Cixi traveled, she always liked to carry a large number of gorgeous clothes, even if some styles she did not like, she must let the slaves carry them with great difficulty. Her purpose is purely to appreciate the brilliant colors and delicate patterns, for the pleasure of her heart.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was extremely particular and extravagant during her lifetime, and her requirements for her mausoleum were naturally extremely high. It is said that the pants worn by the Empress Dowager Cixi after her death were made of gold wire, which is enough to show her dignity and luxury. However, this also led to her tomb being turned over by tomb robbers shortly after.