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The history of Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi, surnamed Ye Henala, was born in Beijing, Anqing, Anhui, Changzhi, Shanxi and Ningbo. More historical research shows that she was born in Qujing, Yunnan. [1] Manchu with blue flag is said to be Han nationality, and later carried the flag into the statue of Empress Dowager Cixi.

Yellow flag. Its ancestors belonged to Yehebu (now near Siping, Yeheman Town, tiedong district, Siping City). According to the records of Qujing, Yunnan, 1834, Yehenala Zheng Hui was a Taoist priest in Yidong Road, Yunnan, and stationed in Qujing. The following year, Mrs. Hui was born as a female Cixi. And hired a footman Li (who lives in Qujing Lane). After Cixi listened to politics, Li was called to work in the storage department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and later dressed in four products, he served as the head of the Lugouqiao tax department. [2] Father Cheng Wai, a former road flyover of Guang Tai, Huining, Anhui Province, and mother Fu Cha. After sixteen, I went north with my sister to be a maid of honor and lived in Yuanmingyuan. Because he could sing Nanqu, he was noticed by the emperor and began to advance. Because he gave birth to a son to the emperor, he would please the emperor and was soon promoted to the imperial concubine. Everyone called him Yi Guifei. Emperor Tongzhi was established, and he was honored as the Empress Dowager, with the title of Cixi. The Tai 'an generation in Shandong also had Cixi. After Wenzong died in the summer resort in the Qing Dynasty, he was also known as the Western Empress because he lived in the gazebo with Empress Ci 'an. (According to legend, Empress Ci 'an lived in Zhongcui Palace, one of the Sixth Hospital of the Eastern Palace, and Empress Dowager Cixi lived in Palace of Gathered Elegance, the Sixth Hospital of the Western Palace, so she was called the Western Empress Dowager. In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Ye Lashi was recruited into the palace, and was given the title of Yi Guiren, and later he was conferred the title of Yi Jin. 1856 In March, Zai Chun, the only prince of Xianfeng Emperor (later Tongzhi Emperor), was born, and he was appointed as the imperial concubine. A few days later, I was promoted to Yi Guifei. Because Emperor Xianfeng was sickly, his internal and external troubles made him haggard and gradually became lazy, and Yi Guifei was engaged in calligraphy work, so Emperor Xianfeng often dictated Yi Guifei to write and read the throne, which gave Cixi the opportunity to get in touch with politics. Seal of "Imperial Reward" and "Family"

1860, before the British and French allied forces entered Beijing, she fled to Jehol with Emperor Xianfeng and Prince Zai Chun. Emperor Xianfeng died in Jehol in August, 186 1. Because Zai Chun was only 6 years old, before his death, Emperor Xianfeng appointed Prince Yi, Duan Hua, Jing Shou, assistant to university students, Kuang Yuan, Du Han and Jiao Youying as the king to assist the Tongzhi Emperor in handling state affairs. These people are all close friends of Xianfeng, and Su Shun is especially resourceful. He also gave the Queen and Yi Guifei two seals representing imperial power, hoping that they would contain each other. After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, Prince Zai Chun ascended the throne with the title of "Jixiang". She was honored as the Empress Dowager together with Queen Niu Zhilu (Empress Ci 'an). Empress Dowager Cixi was very dissatisfied with the eight ministers' attempt to monopolize power, so she teamed up with Prince Gong Yixin, the younger brother of Xianfeng Emperor who presided over the peace talks in Beijing. Taking advantage of the opportunity of the Queen and Xianfeng Emperor Zigong returning to Beijing, she launched a Xinyou coup, designed and arrested eight ministers, and sentenced Yi and Zheng Qinwang to suicide. Su Shun made a final decision. Others were dismissed, crushing the power of the eight ministers. Hey? Was appointed as the deliberation king, 186 1 year 12, and the Empress Dowager hall of mental cultivation of the two palaces bowed down to listen to politics; And changed the year number to "Tongzhi". The word "dragon" written by Empress Dowager Cixi.

[3] The place where you listen to politics is hall of mental cultivation Dongnuange.

In the early days of her administration, with the help of Wang Yixin, she was an official to rectify the order; Reuse Chen Han; Relying on the armed forces of the Han landlords such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo and Li Hongzhang, and with the support of the great powers, they successively suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Nian Army, the Miao people and the Hui people's uprisings, eased the ruling crisis of the Qing Dynasty, and made the Qing Dynasty temporarily stable. In order to maintain the feudal autocratic rule, she also attached great importance to the Westernization School, developed some military and civilian industries and trained the navy and army to strengthen the political power on the principle of "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth". Objectively, it has played a positive role in China's modernization. However, because Cixi knew little about the advanced science and technology in the West, she also made many stupid decisions, which hindered the progress of the Westernization Movement. In addition, when the reform might damage her rule, she supported the die-hards to curb the Westernization School in order to strengthen centralization. During this period, the domestic uprising was put down; The two opium wars temporarily satisfied the greed of the great powers and did not suffer a big loss in diplomacy; After the Westernization Movement, the military strength of the Qing Dynasty was improved. The industry and commerce had a preliminary development, which was called "Tongzhi Zhongxing" by the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty. Tongzhi eleven years (1872), Zai Chun 17 years old. Cixi had to choose for him, and the next year, the Empress Dowager of the two palaces retired to the court. However, after the Tongzhi emperor came to power, it was still difficult to get rid of Cixi's intervention. For fun, Cixi instructed the Emperor Tongzhi to repair the Yuanmingyuan residence for her, and the Emperor Tongzhi also wanted to take the opportunity to let Empress Dowager Cixi leave the palace to get rid of her mother's intervention. However, at that time, financial resources were in short supply, Yuanmingyuan was seriously damaged and the repair cost was huge. Emperor Tongzhi insisted on starting construction, which caused a game. When many princes and ministers objected, Emperor Tongzhi dismissed them all. Cixi stepped forward and stopped the absurd decision of the Tongzhi emperor. The statue of Empress Dowager Cixi in court.

1June 875, Emperor Tongzhi died of illness. Cixi made her nephew, 4-year-old Zai Tian, emperor, and changed the title to Guangxu, and the two queens listened to politics again. From 1865 to 1870, Akuta, an invader of the Central Asian Khanate, invaded and stole most of Xinjiang. 187 1 year, Russia sent troops to occupy Yili area. 1875, Cixi adopted the suggestion of Zuo, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and sent troops to Xinjiang. The Qing army recaptured Xinjiang on 1878+0. 188 1 year, China recovered most of Yili through Sino-Russian negotiations. 1881April 8, Cian died suddenly at the age of 45. Some people think she is a victim of Cixi. Since then, Cixi has achieved court dictatorship. The Sino-French war broke out from 1883 to 1885, and both sides won or lost militarily. However, the Qing government headed by Cixi advocated "winning by winning" and signed the Sino-French New Testament with France, which made France gain many aggressive benefits. At the beginning of the war, Cixi took advantage of the unfavorable war and pushed the responsibility to Yi? The military department headed by the minister dismissed them all, which was called "Shen Jiayi" in history. Since then, Cixi has completely taken control of state affairs. 1February 889, Guangxu got married, nominally ruled by Emperor Guangxu, and Cixi lectured for several years. After the political training, all the personnel and administration of North Korea are still in their hands. "Empress Dowager Cixi (Emperor Guangxu) is sincere and will do whatever the court asks." Emperor Guangxu is still in a puppet position. 1894, Cixi celebrated her 60th birthday, and planned to "celebrate in the Summer Palace, follow the example of Kangxi and Qianlong years, set up a colorful shed and hold a ceremony from the inside to the garden". Mobilize naval funds, repair the Summer Palace, decorate the scenery and collect donations. That year coincided with Japan's launching of the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Guangxu main battle, Cixi also main battle, "no weakness". However, when someone proposed to stop the Summer Palace project, stop the construction of scenic spots and switch to military spending, Cixi was furious and said, "I am unhappy today, and I will make him unhappy for life." Later, the Qing army suffered repeated defeats in the Korean battlefield, and the Beiyang Navy suffered serious setbacks in the battle of the Yellow Sea. In order not to affect her 60th anniversary celebration, Cixi 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 attacked the hawks headed by Guangxu with various excuses. Due to the increasingly tense situation and the heavy pressure of the ruling and opposition parties, she can no longer go her own way and stage a big drama. She had to change her original plan and reduce the scale of the birthday celebration. Cixi spent her 60th birthday in Ningshou Palace, the Forbidden City, when Jinzhou and Dalian fell one after another and Lushun was extremely critical. On February 7th, the following year, ahava Japanese warships and batteries attacked Liu Gongdao, and the Beiyang Navy was wiped out. China's land and sea battlefields were both defeated, and the main peace faction headed by Cixi made up its mind to make peace with Japan. In March, Cixi sent Li Hongzhang as the plenipotentiary and went to Japan for peace. /kloc-In April of 0/7, China signed the unprecedented humiliating treaty "treaty of shimonoseki", and China gave up its status as the suzerain of North Korea. Compensation of 200 million taels of silver; Ceding Liaodong Peninsula (later redeemed with 30 million taels of silver), Taiwan Province Province and Penghu Islands; Open four trading ports; Allow Japan to open mines and set up factories at trading ports. This treaty greatly deepened the process of China's colonization. After the failure of the Sino-Japanese War in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the great powers set off a frenzy to carve up China. In order to save the country and survive, the bourgeois reform movement was launched. Cixi hopes to have a strong country, but she is worried that Guangxu will get rid of her control through political reform. Cixi initially expressed her support for reform, but she later took military power and human rights into her own hands. 1June, 898, Guangxu promulgated the emperor's Imperial edict of Guo Wei in Ming Ding (namely, Imperial edict of Guo Wei in Ming Ding) and implemented the political reform. Emperor Guangxu's political reform touched the interests of Manchu nobles and many feudal bureaucrats. They gathered together and tried their best to oppose political reform. When they heard that Emperor Guangxu tried to get Yuan Shikai to send troops to surround the Summer Palace and kill Rong Lu; After hanging herself, Cixi finally staged a coup to imprison Emperor Guangxu, killed six people including Tan Sitong, and stifled the "Reform Movement of 1898". /kloc-At the end of 0/9, the Boxer Rebellion rose in northern China. Cixi initially suppressed, but the suppression failed repeatedly, and the Boxer Rebellion developed rapidly and entered Beijing. Cixi hoped to suppress the Boxer Rebellion and treat it differently, but the powers demanded that the Qing government completely annihilate the Boxer Rebellion, regardless of the opposition of the Qing government, and insisted on sending troops to Beijing. Cixi was always dissatisfied with foreigners, so she came up with the idea of using the Boxer Rebellion against the foreign powers. When she saw a so-called "foreigner's note" and ordered her to return to politics, she was even more unbearable and declared war on the powers. However, Cixi's decision was opposed by local governors such as Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong. They jointly sent a telegram to the Qing court urging the suppression of the Communist Party and peace. And signed a treaty with the powers to implement "mutual protection in the southeast." Cixi's determination began to waver. On the one hand, she asked provincial governors to make careful arrangements for war prevention, and continued to use the Boxer Rebellion to besiege the embassy and attack Eight-Nation Alliance. On the other hand, she asked Rong Lu to go to the embassy to express condolences to the envoys of various countries; He also issued credentials to Russia, Britain, Japan, Germany, the United States, France and other countries, asking them to come forward to "solve difficulties" and "save the current situation." Li Hongzhang, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was transferred to Zhili as governor and minister of Beiyang, ready to negotiate with the great powers. However, the G8 did not stop attacking. On August 1900, Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing. The next morning, Cixi fled to Beijing with Emperor Guangxu. Yi Kuang and Li Hongzhang were appointed as plenipotentiaries to negotiate with the great powers. Put the responsibility of the war on the Boxer Rebellion and ordered the "painstaking extinction" of the Boxer Rebellion. On February 14 of the following year, the outline of the peace talks was approved, and an imperial edict was issued, saying that it was necessary to "measure China's material resources and win the favor of the country." 190 1 On September 7th, 2000, it signed an unprecedented humiliating "Xin Chou Treaty" with 1 1 imperialist countries, which stipulated that the compensation should be 450 million taels, the main battle officials should be punished, and all the fortresses along Dagu to Beijing should be demolished. At this point, the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society in China was completely established. /kloc-at the beginning of 0/902, Cixi and Emperor Guangxu returned to Beijing. Cixi took a photo with the wife of a foreign minister.

In order to maintain the rule and change her image of being old-fashioned and incompetent, Empress Dowager Cixi announced the implementation of the "New Deal" during the "Western Expedition" and carried out economic, military, educational and official reforms. However, the purpose of the reform decided that the reform was not thorough, and the corruption of the Qing government made many reform measures fail to receive good results when they were implemented. 1904, the Russo-Japanese War broke out in order to occupy Northeast China and Korea. The battlefield is in the northeast of China, and the Qing government headed by Cixi actually declared "neutrality", once again seriously trampling on China's sovereignty; People in Northeast China suffer greatly from it. As a result of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan defeated Russia. People in China generally realized that constitutional monarchy was superior to absolute monarchy, and demanded the Qing government to carry out constitutional reform. At the same time, domestic revolutionary movements are becoming more and more popular. In order to maintain her rule, Cixi had to make a constitutional gesture. 1905, she sent five ministers to study abroad. 1906, she announced that she was preparing for constitutionalism. 1908, she promulgated the Outline of the King James Constitution based on the German and Japanese constitutions, which safeguarded the "sovereign power" of the emperor. 1908165438+10/4, Emperor Guangxu died. She named Zai Feng, the god of wine, and Puyi, who was only three years old, as emperors, with the year number Xuan Tong. 1908165438+1October 15 The day after the death of Emperor Guangxu, Cixi died of illness at the age of 74 and was buried in Ding Dong Mausoleum in Zunhua, Hebei.