Title: Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagance and extravagance: The Sinking Behind the Gorgeous.
Introduction: "Ten thousand dollars a day, it is still said that there is no place to go." Xunzi's famous words have been vividly confirmed in history, especially at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the extravagant life of the Empress Dowager Cixi is even more staggering. Her extravagance and waste not only caused a shock to the society at that time, but also became a factor that could not be ignored in the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Xunzi's "strong and economical" is a fine traditional Chinese virtue, however, when people's status reaches a certain height, there is often a situation where desire is difficult to fill, and extravagance and waste follow. Empress Dowager Cixi's lifestyle became a striking example of her extravagant consumption that was closely linked to the fall of the Qing dynasty.
According to the records of the wild history, the Empress Dowager Cixi's daily expenses were as high as 40,000 taels of silver, and the amount at that time was also staggering in today's monetary value. The level of luxury involved in this figure is unbelievable, but it also makes one wonder where this huge sum of money is going.
Empress Dowager Cixi's diet was extremely luxurious, and it is said that her daily food expenses were equivalent to the annual income of forty empresses. More than 100 dishes are carefully prepared, as well as luxurious ingredients such as pigeon eggs and pearls, which demonstrate its demanding cuisine.
Empress Dowager Cixi's wardrobe contained more than 2,000 pieces of clothing, hundreds of pairs of shoes, and countless gold and silver jewelry. Each outfit is handmade by a professional embroiderer, and the luxury of her outfit is truly staggering.
The Empress Dowager Cixi's residence was extravagant, and the palace had to be renovated or renovated every year, costing a huge amount of money. On the one hand, this shows her demanding living environment, and on the other hand, it is also the epitome of her extravagance and waste.
In terms of travel, the Empress Dowager Cixi also spared no money and silver. It is said that a trip to the palace costs millions of taels** and requires hundreds of people to accompany them. Such a trip to the palace makes it impossible to imagine the extent of its extravagance.
Empress Dowager Cixi's daily life was filled with all kinds of entertainment, from singing and dancing to opera, all of which reflected her dedication to enjoying life. Spending a huge amount of money to make her entertainment life more colorful.
However, the figure of "40,000 taels of silver per day" mentioned by the Empress Dowager Cixi is not the real amount of consumption, but is more abused by court insiders. According to the research of historians, the cost of the Qing Dynasty court was "three seven open", that is, thirty percent of the actual consumption, and seventy percent was the share of the handler. The existence of this unspoken rule made the actual flow of silver in the hands of the Empress Dowager Cixi far less than it appeared on the surface.
Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagance and waste was not only an erosion of the country's finances, but also a foreshadowing of the demise of the Qing Dynasty. At a time of national crisis, the extravagant life of the Empress Dowager Cixi contrasted sharply with the decline of the country and was a microcosm of the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagance and extravagance left a strong mark on history, and her lifestyle became the focus of social attention at the time. However, behind this luxury, there is a hidden fall of the country and the suffering of the people. The momentary pleasure of the Empress Dowager Cixi eventually became the symbol of the end of China's feudal dynasty, and also sounded the alarm bell for future generations to think deeply. While tracing history, we should deeply reflect on the cost of extravagance and waste, cherish the present, and remember history.