On November 15, 1908, just one day after the death of Emperor Guangxu, the Empress Dowager Cixi also died at the age of 73. Her 50-year reign came to an end, leaving behind the phrase "In the future, women are not allowed to hear about the government", and then passed away.
When the Empress Dowager Cixi died, it was at 3 p.m., facing south. Traditionally, the king would face south when he was dying, and the Empress Dowager Cixi apparently chose this position on purpose, suggesting her reluctance and nostalgia.
After her death, her mouth was open and not completely closed, a condition that, according to Chinese tradition, was considered a symbol of "the reluctance of the soul to leave the body", as if the Empress Dowager Cixi was not willing to leave the world.
However, even if she was no longer willing, the Empress Dowager Cixi eventually left. She died of acute dysentery, which often led to pre-existing symptoms of dehydration. Empress Dowager Cixi was no exception, and part of the reason why her body remained undecomposed during the tomb raid 20 years later was because she had symptoms of dehydration before her death.
After the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the person in charge of arranging her funeral was Li Lianying, the chief eunuch who had been favored by her for many years. Li Lianying's funeral was very detailed, and Cixi's funeral goods were innumerable, and the luxury was unimaginable.
The coffin of the Empress Dowager Cixi was covered with a valuable gold silk quilt, and various jewelry, jade, gold and silver and other funerary items filled the coffin. This burial almost left her lying in a treasure, but it was only the first of three burials she had.
The body of the Empress Dowager Cixi was transferred from Xiyuan to the Forbidden City, and the spirit was rested in the Ningshou Palace. Subsequently, an important ceremony was carried out to announce the nickname, and Cixi was given the title of "Filial Piety, Cixi, Duanyou, Kang, Yizhao, Yuzhuang, Chengshou, Gongqin, Chongxi, and Empress Tianxing Shengxian", and the grandeur of the nickname is unparalleled in history.
According to the ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor and the empress dowager died at the same time, and the emperor should be buried first. As a result, the Empress Dowager Cixi's resting place was moved to the bottom of the coal mountain. Her mausoleum was designed with great care during her lifetime, and was unfinished at the time of her death.
The Empress Dowager Cixi's coffin-carrying team was huge, with 84 people before and after, and even temporarily increased to 128 people. The procession was spectacular, and the process of carrying the coffin was quite unusual and full of legends.
In the end, the coffin of the Empress Dowager Cixi was placed in Dongling, and during the whole funeral ceremony, Cixi's name and tablet were placed very solemnly.
However, the Empress Dowager Cixi's three burials and burials had completely different treatments. The second burial took place 20 years after her death, and the third burial occurred when the Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty became a scenic spot, but this time it was not robbers who targeted Cixi's tomb, but a group of professional archaeologists. This series of events shows that even emperors who once controlled the world could not control their own afterlife.