Cixi(1835 — 1908)
Cixi
dynastie Qing
9 min read
Cixi, impératrice douairière de Chine, a dominé la politique de la dynastie Qing pendant près de cinquante ans. Régente habile et autoritaire, elle a gouverné un empire confronté aux pressions coloniales occidentales et aux révoltes internes, laissant une empreinte ambivalente sur la modernisation de la Chine.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- 1852 : Entrée dans la Cité interdite comme concubine de l'empereur Xianfeng
- 1861 : Après la mort de l'empereur, elle devient régente au nom de son fils, l'empereur Tongzhi
- 1875–1908 : Régente effective pendant le règne de l'empereur Guangxu, son neveu, qu'elle fait emprisonner en 1898
- 1898 : Coup d'État contre les réformes des Cent Jours, arrêtant la modernisation libérale du pays
- 1900 : Soutien à la révolte des Boxeurs contre les puissances étrangères, suivie de la fuite de la cour et des protocoles de Pékin humiliants
Works & Achievements
Cixi financed the reconstruction of the Summer Palace, destroyed by Franco-British forces in 1860, by diverting funds from the imperial navy. This 2.9 km² architectural complex, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is her most visible legacy.
Following the Boxer disaster, Cixi launched a sweeping modernization program: abolition of the imperial examinations (1905), establishment of modern schools, military reform, sending students abroad, and drafting a constitution. These reforms, too late in coming, could not save the dynasty.
Cixi's first regency, during which she governed China in the name of her minor son. She stabilized the empire in the aftermath of the Taiping Rebellion and negotiated with foreign powers.
Cixi put an end to Emperor Guangxu's liberal reforms after only 103 days, had the reformers arrested — including Kang Youwei and Tang Sitong (who was executed) — and restored conservatism at court. This episode remains debated by historians as to its true motivations.
The first official portrait of the empress, painted by American artist Katherine Carl, intended to present imperial China in a favorable light to the Western world. It stands as a unique testimony to Cixi's appearance and staging of power.
Anecdotes
Cixi entered the Forbidden City at the age of sixteen as a lower-ranking concubine of Emperor Xianfeng. Through her exceptional intelligence and mastery of calligraphy — a rare skill among court women — she quickly became indispensable to the emperor, who dictated his edicts to her, thereby gaining considerable political influence.
In 1861, following the death of Emperor Xianfeng, Cixi organized a coup d'état with Empress Ci'an to overthrow the regency council composed of eight princes. She had the regents arrested, three of them executed, and seized power in the name of her five-year-old son, the future Emperor Tongzhi. This was one of the rare moments in Chinese history when women took hold of state power in such a manner.
Cixi was passionate about Peking opera (jingju). She had a three-story theater built in the Summer Palace — the Grand Theater of Harmonious Virtue — and regularly attended performances. She funded entire troupes, knew hundreds of roles by heart, and sometimes participated in rehearsals herself.
In 1908, just a few hours before her death, Cixi designated Puyi, a two-and-a-half-year-old child, as her successor. She had previously had Emperor Guangxu, her nephew, imprisoned and then likely poisoned; he died on November 14, 1908, the day before her own death. Cixi had thus maintained control of China until her very last breath.
American photographer Katherine Carl produced the first official portrait of Cixi around 1903, intended for the Saint Louis World's Fair. Cixi, wary of Western technologies, imposed very strict conditions on the session: the photographer had to prostrate herself, never raise her eyes toward the empress, and the photographs were subject to lengthy negotiations. This portrait was Cixi's attempt to manage her image with Western powers following the disaster of the Boxer Rebellion.
Primary Sources
The eight regents have failed in their duties and acted contrary to the imperial will. We order their immediate arrest and the seizure of their official seals, so that the regency may be carried out in accordance with rites and law.
Her Majesty rose each morning before dawn. She prayed before the Buddha statues, then underwent her lengthy toilette assisted by numerous ladies-in-waiting. Her nails, protected by long sheaths of gold and jade, were the object of constant care and symbolized her absolute rank.
The Empress Dowager received the diplomatic corps with calculated magnificence. She personally distributed cakes to the ambassadors' wives, displaying a sudden affability that contrasted sharply with the hostility toward foreigners she had shown during the events of 1900.
The traditional examination system, in place for more than a thousand years, is henceforth abolished. New schools teaching science and foreign languages shall be established in every province, in order to train the servants the Empire needs in the face of the challenges of the present age.
A woman must never hold power in China. It must never again be permitted for a woman to govern the affairs of the State, as I have done. This is contrary to the natural order of things and can only lead the country to its ruin.
Key Places
The official residence of the emperors and seat of imperial government, the Forbidden City was the center of Cixi's power for nearly fifty years. She lived there from her arrival as a concubine in 1851 until her death in 1908.
Cixi had this imperial palace rebuilt between 1886 and 1895, diverting funds intended for the imperial navy for that purpose. It became her favorite residence and the place where she received foreign ambassadors after 1902.
The imperial mountain summer residence where Emperor Xianfeng died in 1861. It was here that Cixi, present at his side, orchestrated the coup d'état that would allow her to seize power.
Cixi fled here when allied troops seized Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. This humiliating retreat by palanquin across hundreds of kilometers left a deep mark on her reign.
A grand Buddhist temple that Cixi visited regularly on pilgrimage, particularly for her birthday. Her Buddhist devotion was sincere and influenced many political and artistic decisions of her court.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Reconstruction du Palais d'Été (Yiheyuan)
1886-1895
Réformes Xinzheng (新政)
1901-1908
Régence au nom de l'empereur Tongzhi
1861-1873
Suppression des Cent Jours de réforme
1898
Portrait officiel pour l'Exposition universelle de Saint-Louis
1903-1904
