Empress Dowager Cixi is one of the top ten sinners in Chinese history, she seized power by uniting with Prince Gong to kill the ministers of the first emperor on his deathbed, forming a pattern of "two palaces hanging curtains, princes discussing politics", and began to listen to the government for 47 years, her crimes have been a controversial topic.
Below I will take you to count her crimes, if there are any shortcomings, you will add them in the comment area.
Sino-Japanese WarDuring the First Sino-Japanese War, the Empress Dowager Cixi adopted the attitude of the main battle during the war. She believed that Japan was not to be feared and did not keep up with the trends of the world at that time. However, as the war progressed, the Qing army suffered successive defeats in the Korean battlefield, and the Beiyang Naval Division suffered another serious setback in the Battle of the Yellow Sea.
At this time, Cixi was celebrating her 60th birthday, and in order not to affect her celebrations, she hoped that foreign countries would intervene and end the war as soon as possible. She supported Li Hongzhang's policy of avoiding war and seeking peace, and used various excuses to attack the main battle faction headed by Emperor Guangxu. In the end, on February 7 of the following year, the Weihai Weiwei Japanese ships and batteries attacked Liugong Island, and the Beiyang Naval Division was completely annihilated.
Empress Dowager Cixi's decisions had an important impact on the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War. Her overconfident attitude and dependence on international intervention caused the Qing Empire to suffer heavy losses in the war.
Pentecostal VariationOn June 11, 1898, Emperor Guangxu promulgated the "Ming Dingguo is Edict", marking the beginning of the Wuxu Reform. Subsequently, reform measures were introduced one after another, including reforming the first organization, eliminating redundant personnel, appointing reformers, encouraging the private sector to set up industrial and mining enterprises, opening new-style schools, translating Western books, founding newspapers and periodicals, and training new-style army and navy. To a certain extent, these reforms reflected the aspirations and demands of the bourgeoisie and were of progressive significance.
However, as the reform deepened, the old school began to strongly resist and oppose it. They see these reforms as a threat to their interests and fear that the stability of the country is threatened.
Under these circumstances, the Empress Dowager Cixi began to resent the change.
Finally, on September 21, 1898, the Empress Dowager Cixi staged a coup d'état and regained power. She imprisoned the Guangxu Emperor and ordered the arrest of the reformers. Tan Sitong, Lin Xu, Yang Shenxiu, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi and other six gentlemen of Wuxu were killed, and the 103-day reform was declared a failure.
The cruelty of the Empress Dowager CixiPoisoning the Empress Dowager Ci'an: The Empress Dowager Ci'an was Cixi's aunt and Empress of Emperor Xianfeng. After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, Ci'an assisted the young emperor together with eight auxiliary ministers, and had the "Imperial Reward Seal", which must be stamped on all major state events to be valid. This made Cixi feel threatened and jealous of Ci'an's power. After Ci'an abdicated and left the palace, Cixi secretly poisoned the Empress Dowager Ci'an and exhumed her body.
Died "Zhenggong Niangniang": Zhenggong Niangniang is the wife of Emperor Tongzhi (Cixi's eldest son) and his cousin, named Concubine Jin. According to legend, Cixi died because she gave birth to a boy, which threatened Tongzhi's succession to the throne. In addition, Cixi also killed other concubines, including Congrong Niangniang, Huang Taiji's own sister, etc.
Kill Mu Zong in anger: Mu Zong is the Tongzhi Emperor. According to legend, Cixi was furious when she heard that the Tongzhi Emperor had gone to visit his biological father, Concubine Jin. She thought it was Emperor Tongzhi's implication that the concubines should be attached to him instead of her. She then ordered him to be poisoned.
Dethronement of Emperor Guangxu: In 1898, Cixi unveiled the so-called "Wuxu Reform" and violently rebelled against the Restorationists. She ordered the deposition of Emperor Guangxu and imprisoned him in the Old Summer Palace. There are also rumors that she has tried to assassinate Emperor Guangxu several times, but they have been unsuccessful. Eventually, on his deathbed, he once again mentioned Cixi's crimes and wept over his niece, who had failed to save him.
In addition, Cixi also abused her power for personal gain, and carried out many cruel incidents in the court. For example, she once grabbed a young woman who was not favored sitting in a chamberlain's room, tied them face to face, and the two shouted for injustice. Cixi took off the woman's clothes, punched and kicked her desperately humiliating her, but still not satisfied, killed her by pouring water.
Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagant behavior1.Birthday Celebration:
Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday celebration was extremely lavish. When she was 60 years old, for example, in order to prepare for her birthday celebration, she embezzled military funds to rebuild the Summer Palace, and the rebuilding project alone cost more than 6 million taels**. In addition, she purchased a large amount of jewelry, clothing, shoes, and various accessories, and spent a lot of money. During the celebration, she also set up a stage and invited a drama to perform for her, and the entire celebration cost more than 15 million taels, which is equivalent to the military expenses of the entire Beiyang Fleet.
2.Personal Care:
She takes pearl powder and ginseng bird's nest every day as an internal tone, and the fat powder applied to her face is made with precious herbs and spices. She also has a specialized facial massager, as well as massage sticks made with agate, Hetian jade, and **, among others. Her mirror is an ivory carved mirror, and she wears a gold chisel and antique money pattern nail cover every day.
3.Clothing & Accessories:
Empress Dowager Cixi's clothes were staggering, and they were all inlaid with gold threads, and her shoes were inlaid with various pearls and agate. When she travels, she has to load a wagon of clothes alone, and every piece of clothing in her closet is priceless.
4.Diet: The Empress Dowager Cixi's diet was also extremely extravagant. There are 400 people in the imperial dining room who are in charge of her meals, and each meal is served 120 dishes according to specifications every day, and they are all rare seafood. In addition, there are two snacks, pastries and snacks, and there are more than 20 dishes each time.
5.Foot washing and bathing:
The Empress Dowager Cixi's way of washing her feet and bathing was also extremely luxurious. In summer, soak your feet in precious tea leaves and chrysanthemum flowers to keep your face bright and your eyes clear. In winter, soak your feet in papaya soup to warm your knees and warm your knees. For bathing, 40 towels are used, which are made of fine fabrics and can be used as handicrafts.
6.Toilet vessel:
The toilet she uses is made of sandalwood and inlaid with rubies. More than 20 people need to wait for each toilet.
7.Living Environment:
The Empress Dowager Cixi lived in Chuxiu Palace. Every ornament is priceless, and in order to maintain the fragrance of the room, the aroma is smoked with fresh fruit every day, and the fruit is constantly replaced.
Indemnity for land cessionFaced with the aggression of Western powers and the turmoil at home, the Empress Dowager Cixi believed that the land reparations could temporarily relieve external pressure and give the Qing Dynasty a respite. However, she did not realize that the compensation for the cession of land would undermine the interests and integrity of the country's sovereignty. She is more concerned with the stability of the present than on the future.
Politically, the Empress Dowager Cixi tended to assert her power and position. As a means of compromise, the reparations could ease political pressure at home and help her consolidate her personal power. She was wary of the military might of the great powers, and believed that land reparations were an effective way to avoid a larger war.
Set fire to the Eight-Nation Coalition into BeijingAt the end of the 25th year of Guangxu (1900), the Empress Dowager Cixi issued an edict in favor of the Boxers, saying, "The villagers in various provinces set up regiments to defend themselves and protect their families. Her intention was to use the Boxer Rebellion's slogan of "Fu Qing and destroy the foreigners" to confront the foreign powers.
Due to the support of the imperial court, the Boxers began to unscrupulously count the foreigners. In just a few days after the Boxers officially entered Beijing, the city of Beijing almost became the world of the Boxers. However, the actions of the Boxers sparked panic among foreigners, who believed that Beijing's embassy district was in danger.
On June 9, 1900, Cixi returned to the palace from the Summer Palace and transferred Dong Fuxiang, who was in charge of guarding, to Yongdingmen. Many soldiers of the Dong Army joined the Boxers. Dong Fuxiang also became a brother with Li Laizhong, the leader of the Boxer Rebellion. More and more fighters are entering Beijing, and there are more than 100,000 fighters in Beijing at its peak. Since that day, communications have been cut off in the foreign embassy area in Beijing's Dongjiaomin Lane.
In this case, foreigners perceive Beijing's embassy district as dangerous. On June 9, Maxwell MacDonald, the British minister to China, sent a telegram to Seymour that the situation in Beijing was deteriorating by the hour, and asked Seymour to prepare for entering Beijing in advance. The next day, 2,157 Allied soldiers from Seymour set off for Beijing in an attempt to protect Beijing's embassy district.
At that time, Cixi did not know the size of the Seymour League, nor did she know that there were only 2,000 people. She believes that it is a war waged by foreigners from eight countries, probably with an army of several thousand people.
In June 1900, Cixi issued the Edict of Declaration of War and launched war against the eleven kingdoms. In fact, this is just a war mobilization, and the target of the war is not even clear, which is full of her mentality of not caring for the safety of people's lives. The first thing she did when she fled was to order the killing of 24-year-old Concubine Zhen. It is absurd that the Qing army and the Boxers fought against the Eight-Nation Alliance while attacking each other.
In general, Empress Dowager Cixi's crimes were manifold, including poisoning members of the imperial family, seizing power, and suppressing reforms. These actions have seriously affected the course of China's history and seriously hampered China's modernization process. However, there are also different theories and controversies about her crimes, so it is necessary to evaluate the history in a guest manner.
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