Empress Dowager Cixi: From Concubine To Supreme Ruler
Even in our very modern times, women being underestimated and sidelined is nothing new. In 1800s China, their control over their own lives was even more limited. But that didn’t stop one extremely fierce woman—Empress Dowager Cixi—from clawing her way to the top, no matter what she had to do to get there.
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1. She Was Born With It
Born in Beijing in 1835, Cixi likely grew up with a very comfortable lifestyle. Her father held the title of a third rank duke. That didn’t put him particularly close to the top of the food chain, but he definitely lived an existence far from poverty, and with certain noble privileges. His daughter, however, had far less choices about how she’d live her young life.
John Yu Shuinling, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Competed For A Man
At the age of 16, Cixi’s life changed forever. Along with 60 other women, she appeared at the imperial palace to basically compete for the position of one of the Emperor’s concubines. She likely had no choice in the matter, being a healthy young woman of noble background. She didn’t have a choice in what happened once they chose her, either.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
3. She Became A Side Piece
Cixi ended up besting most of the competition, landing herself a spot as the Emperor’s sixth ranked concubine. In other words, she left her family behind forever to be the Emperor’s official side piece. Luckily for her, however, she came into the situation with a hugely unusual advantage.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
4. She Used Her Head
Traditionally, young women at that time didn’t receive formal education in the way they do today. Their lessons geared more towards preparing them to be a homemaker. But, whether thanks to her noble family or her own steel will, Cixi knew how to read and write Chinese. None of the other women in the palace could read, so she used the skill to find herself in just the right places at just the right times.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
5. She Got Close
Over time, Cixi received opportunities to use her skills with language to assist the Emperor directly. As she did, she learned much about his role as emperor, as well as the affairs of the Qing Dynasty in which they operated. And with that, Cixi started her sneaky rise to the very top.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
6. She Moved On Up
Just two years into her life at the palace, Cixi started moving up in the ranks of the concubines, moving to fifth rank in 1852. Granted, she still had a ways to go to get anywhere near the level of the Emperor’s actual wife, the Empress. But she had another plan up her sleeve. Or in her womb, so to speak.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
7. She Used Her Body
In 1856, Cixi birthed the Emperor’s first son, Zaichun. At the time, she didn’t realize he’d be the Emperor’s only son, but being the first still meant a great deal, as the actual empress didn’t have any sons. That made Zaichun the possible heir to the kingdom. On the day she gave birth, she moved up in rank to fourth concubine. And on Zaichun’s first birthday, she moved up to third. But it took a major tragedy to really put her in place to tip the scales in her favor.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
8. They Ran Away
National calamity struck in 1860 when the French and British laid siege to the Qing Dynasty. The Emperor and his entire imperial family, including all his concubines, found themselves forced to flee their summer palace for safety. They managed to escape with their lives, but when the Emperor found out that his enemies incinerated their summer palace, things took a turn for the worse.
Qing Dynasty Court Painter, Wikimedia Commons
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9. He Fell Off
Already exhibiting signs of mental decline, the Emperor’s health quickly degenerated as he started to indulge in other unhealthy substances to soothe his sadness over the loss of the palace. Seeming to sense the impending end of his life, he made plans for his succession. But exactly what were those plans? Well, that depends on which story you actually believe…
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
10. He Thought Ahead
Cixi’s son remained the first option for heir to the Kingdom, but he was only five years old when the Emperor’s health started to decay. As such, he appointed eight men to serve his son as ministers, guiding him as emperor until he became of age. Historians agree on that much. It’s the part where Cixi comes in that causes a bit of a mystery.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
11. She Might Have Been His Favorite
One prevailing theory states that after he appointed these eight men, the Emperor called in his empress and Cixi, the two top women in his palace by that time. He supposedly gave them an official seal, which would give them some authority over the eight ministers. According to many historians, it’s likely that he actually gave them the seal stamp as a gift, absent political use. But either way, Cixi wasted no time figuring out how to get some real power on her own terms.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
12. She Plotted
It all started with the final passing of the Emperor in 1861. With his passing, Cixi automatically received the title of “Empress Dowager” alongside the late emperor’s wife. While this technically moved her up in rank, it didn’t give her any actual authority or power over the eight ministers. To do that, she needed to make some powerful allies.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
13. She Chose An Accomplice
Cixi began enacting her plans to gain control by making a close alliance with the other empress, Empress Dowager Ci'an. This came easily, as the two built a friendship over their time living with and serving the Emperor. But Ci’an didn’t seem to enjoy the work needed to wield power as much as Cixi did, leaving her to struggle against the eight ministers alone—though not for too long.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
14. She Found Her Posse
To add to her influence, Cixi started making major connections with powerful men in the palace, including the late emperor’s brothers, Prince Gong and Prince Chun. She impressed the men with her knowledge and skill, eventually gaining support from one of the major Chinese provinces to become a leader—though not exactly in the way you might think.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
15. They Wanted Her To Pretend
Cixi’s supporters wanted her to “rule from behind the curtains”. In other words, they wanted her to be the major ruling influence in place of the boy emperor until he became of age. Even so, she had to find a way to carefully oust the eight ministers to do so effectively. And when she did, things got bloody.
Asia Television, Young Dowager (1983)
16. She Made Her Move
Her plan swung into action on the day of the Emperor’s funeral procession. She purposely made her way back to the capital before the rest of the royal entourage. While there, she consorted with her allies to level a serious allegation against the most powerful of the eight ministers, Sushun. When Sushun and the others finally arrived at the capital, they found themself accused of a fatal crime.
Asia Television, Young Dowager (1983)
17. She Ended Them
With all the influential support she gathered, Cixi accused Sushun and the other most powerful ministers of plotting against the late emperor. This accusation caught them totally off guard. They didn’t seem to have the slightest clue of what Cixi had been up to, or the support she’d leveled. Needless to say, they found themselves out of luck and time. But Cixi made sure to make things look good—for herself of course.
18. She Played Them
The palace sentenced the ministers to execution. Prince Gong suggested giving them the worst possible end—death by a thousand cuts—but Cixi ordered less brutal means. This made her look merciful and kind, not like she’d just literally masterminded her way into ruling the kingdom. Once she got her spot, she made sure she cemented it in stone.
Felice Beato, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Laid Down The Law
Cixi and her co-empress dowager, Ci’an, became the boy emperor's official regents, ruling in his place until the appointed time. As usual, Ci’an stayed in the background while Cixi took the lead. She did, however, make sure to agree to Cixi’s first official law—an edict giving the two women the final say on all decisions regarding the kingdom. And with that, Cixi really got to work.
Anonymous Palace Painter, Wikimedia Commons
20. She Inherited A Mess
Things didn’t necessarily get smoother from there on out. Cixi inherited a political mess. The country still reeled from its conflict with the British and French. They struggled with internal issues too, with unrest among the different elite families as well as a mess of processes to get through to really get anything done. Not surprisingly, though, Cixi turned out to be just the right shrewd, stubborn woman for the job.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
21. She Whipped Them Into Shape
Cixi changed the processes of the administration by ensuring she knew every important official personally. She required them to report to her directly rather than going through mountains of red tape. She moved the country toward modern times by investing in foreign affairs and industry, and balanced out the important positions held by the kingdom’s noble families. But she gave a little spanking when necessary, too.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
22. She Kept Them Straight
As you’d probably expect, not every official or nobleman felt Cixi should possess the power she did. But when officials tried to sidestep her decisions, she made quick work of them, not afraid to order an execution when she needed one. And while that might seem increasingly ruthless, it’s probably a good thing she did, considering the growing threat she discovered hiding in her own camp.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
23. He Did Too Much
After helping her get her role at the head of the kingdom, Cixi awarded Prince Gong a high position among her officials. But as time wore on, he started to gain serious influence. Through his work as the leader of daily court affairs, Gong gained many supporters throughout the palace. When Cixi truly realized the threat that could pose to her position, she tossed aside all loyalty.
John Thomson, Wikimedia Commons
24. She Betrayed Him
This time, Cixi got lucky. A lower official levied an accusation against Gong, accusing him of disloyalty to the boy emperor. Cixi quickly jumped on this allegation, as tenuous as it seemed to be. She didn’t care about the truth. All she really cared about was the opportunity to knock the prince down several pegs. And knock him down she did.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
25. She Secured The Win
Taking total advantage of the situation, Cixi quickly relieved the prince of all his courtly duties, including his very title as “Prince”. This came as a shock to many in the court, who tried to convince her to restore him. She staunchly refused. But when Prince Gong showed up to court to defend himself, she finally changed her tune.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
26. She Gave In
The prince arrived at court an emotional mess, reportedly weeping before Cixi. She finally relented, but gave him a much lower position than he had before, pleasing the people and protecting herself. Interestingly enough, though, it didn’t turn out to be the first time she doubled back on a major decision.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
27. She Took Pointers
During the beginning of her rule, Cixi leaned into the influence of foreign affairs on Chinese operations. She strengthened relations with the Western world, creating schools for young people to learn foreign languages and even sending young men over to the US to learn. She also encouraged her officials to take notes from Western military tech and strategy. But when things actually started to change, she pulled back. Hard.
Fortune Star Films Company, Lover of the Last Empress (1995)
28. She Changed Her Mind
When people started to return to the country with their new, more Western ideas on politics and education, Cixi fought back. She stopped issuing permission for young people going abroad to study, canceled the building of a railroad, and even personally refused to ever ride in a motorized car. But even with that political back and forth, Cixi soon had more pressing issues much closer to home.
29. She Pressured Him
In the background of all her political work, Cixi still managed the responsibility of preparing her son to rule as emperor. She personally selected his instructors, ensuring he got the very best education money and access could afford. However, when the boy turned 16—the age at which most young men could begin ruling in their tradition—she made a devastating discovery.
Qing Dynasty Court Painter, Wikimedia Commons
30. He Wasn’t Good Enough
When examining her son, Cixi realized he could barely read through an official state document, much less comprehend it. Some historians theorize that he hated learning and rebelled against it as a response to the pressures of the kingdom. Either way, however, I can’t imagine how furious that likely made the overachiever in Cixi. And when the young emperor became of age to marry, things got even worse.
31. She Lost Him
While growing up, Cixi’s son—now officially titled Tongzhi Emperor—spent much more time with the Empress Dowager Ci'an than he did his own mother. As such, he naturally accepted her recommendation on selecting a wife for himself, Lady Arute. Unfortunately for Cixi, though, her new daughter-in-law brought her past back to haunt her.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
32. They Hated Each Other
Arute turned out to be the granddaughter of one of the eight ministers whose lives Cixi ended in order to secure her own rule. To add further insult to injury, Arute reportedly had as strong a personality as Cixi, refusing to make herself small and docile in the Empress’ presence. Cixi, of course, couldn’t take that lying down.
33. She Wiggled Her Way In
Reportedly, Tongzhi felt totally enamored with his new wife, spending copious amounts of time with her instead of catering to all his concubines. With that, Cixi drastically mandated that the two separate. She sent Tongzhi to another palace, effectively keeping him away from his new bride. The result, however, probably turned out much worse than Cixi could have imagined it would.
34. He Embarrassed Her
Sequestered away in the Qianqing palace, Tongzhi descended into destruction. He became an angry taskmaster, dealing out harsh punishments to his servants. Furthermore, he began to sneak out of the palace and parade around the common areas of Beijing, pretending not to be royal as he slept his way through the city. This likely served as a major point of embarrassment for Cixi, but probably not more than his actual attempts to issue laws.
35. He Flopped
While actually serving as emperor, Tonghzi tried to mandate the summer palace be rebuilt, primarily to put his mother there and keep her away from him. Unfortunately for him, funds in the kingdom were low. But when his advisors suggested he pause the project, he fired them all. Cixi swooped in to save the day, reprimanding him publicly before the officials and restoring their titles. And when he tragically succumbed to smallpox at just 19 years old, perhaps Cixi sighed with relief.
Not too much relief, though, as he left her with another problem on her hands.
36. He Left Her Scrambling
Tongzhi passed without having any sons, leaving Cixi scrambling to find a suitable heir within their bloodline. Reportedly, Cixi and Ci’an did struggle over the decision, but ultimately landed on Cixi’s nephew, Guangxu. They took him into the palace at four years old, with all plans to continue their rule until he became of age. But even more uncontrollable hazards to Cixi’s power loomed on the horizon.
37. She Lost Her Sister Wife
In 1881, Ci’an passed very unexpectedly. Even worse, some rumors began to raise distrust toward Cixi, implying that she orchestrated the end of the other empress dowager. The rumors passed easily, and most historians agree that Ci’an passed naturally. Still, Ci’an’s passing left a gap in leadership, as she tended to handle most of the family issues. And that wasn’t the only thing working against Cixi at the time.
38. Her Body Betrayed Her
In that same year, Cixi fell ill with a sickness that, for the most part, remains mostly undetailed. Perhaps she kept the seriousness of the situation private to protect her influence. Either way, she remained in her sickbed for several years, continuing to rule through written communication. And just to make sure no one opposed her, she made sure to do another clean sweep of any rivals she might have in the palace…
39. She Destroyed The Competition
Another international conflict proved just the opportunity for Cixi to secure herself again. In the mid 1880’s, the French defeated China in their struggle over Vietnam. Cixi jumped at the opportunity to blame powerful officials for the country’s downfall, including Prince Gong, and removed them from power. But judging by some other occurrences, perhaps she should have been paying closer attention to someone a lot closer to home.
40. He Did His Thing
While Cixi remained in her sickbed, her nephew, Guangxu, received more opportunity to actually flex his muscles as leader. He acted nothing like his cousin, the late Emperor Tongzhi. So once Guangxu actually became of age to begin his rule at 16 years old, Cixi had to get creative about how she might maintain her control.
41. She Leaned On Her Clique
Luckily for Cixi, she’d invested several decades into not only cutting down her opponents, but elevating her supporters to high stations. As such, when the time arrived for Guangxu to officially take the reins, many officials recommended he wait until he grew older, giving Cixi more time to run things. She graciously agreed, of course. But when the time came for Guangxu to marry, she took her control issues to new heights.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
42. She Meddled
Cixi selected a wife and two concubines for the emperor. To her displeasure, though, he preferred one of the concubines to his actual empress, and took to spending copious amounts of time with her. To solve this perceived issue, Cixi went back to her tried and true method of accusing the favored concubine of a crime in order to demote her. And judging by the way Guangxu proceeded through his rule, perhaps that had just the result Cixi was looking for.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
43. He Seemed Loyal
Technically, Cixi retired from her official role in 1889, once Guangxu officially began serving as emperor. But in reality, the majority of the courts still saw Cixi as the true leader, due to her age and many years at the head of the imperial family. Even Guangxu seemed to see her as the real emperor, and reportedly visited her every few days for assistance in making decisions. That is, until he got a hold of some very newfangled ideas…
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
44. He Struck Out On His Own
In the mid 1890s, after a disgraceful loss in a conflict with Japan, Guangxu decided the time for change had come. He initiated what historians now call the “Hundred Days Reform” in order to push China into modern times. Unsurprisingly, this displeased Cixi. Perhaps she remained stuck in her traditional views, or felt these reforms might affect the authority and power she held. Either way, she made another shocking move.
Baranov, Alexey Mikhailovich, Wikimedia Commons
45. She Schemed
Cixi’s supporters raised concerns about Guangxu’s reforms, taking things a step further by accusing Guangxu’s supporters in the court of being conspirators with the country’s enemies. Armed with this information, Cixi waited until the perfect moment to pounce. And when one of the court generals took the young emperor to one of the smaller palaces, away from the capital, she got her chance.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
46. She Won
In what, by this point, seems to be her modus operandi, Cixi accused Guangxu of being totally incompetent. With her still maintaining majority support in the court, this effectively ended the emperor’s reign, even though he kept the title. Cixi regained her rule, selected a future heir, and even executed several officials who supported the reforms. Even so, one of Cixi’s greatest challenges remained ahead of her.
47. The World Shifted
The Boxer Rebellion in 1900 turned out to be the one obstacle Cixi couldn’t totally overcome. When a group in China rebelled against Western influence, Cixi supported them, effectively launching the country into a war against the US and its many allies. Unfortunately for her, the Chinese proved no match for their opponents. Cixi eventually had to flee their capital as the conflict wore on. She wanted the Chinese to fight to the end, but ultimately found herself at her wits end.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
48. She Surrendered
After a total defeat of the Chinese in their capital, Beijing, Cixi finally relented. She negotiated with the Western alliance, managing to maintain her land and her position of power. Even more than that, though, this conflict proved the only thing with the power to move Cixi. When she returned to Beijing, over a year after running for her life, she finally had a change of heart.
John Yu Shuinling, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Bended
Cixi seemingly saw the light. She herself chose to introduce new reforms, ultimately strengthening the country’s relationship with the West. She made moves to modernize all of China, and successfully did so while improving their international standing. And, to add to all that, she managed to maintain her rule to the very end.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
50. She Passed In Glory
In 1908, just a day after her nephew Guangxu passed, the Empress Dowager Cixi passed as well. Reportedly, Guangxu was poisoned, and some historians theorize the same of Cixi, though others report she passed of natural causes. Even so, the country buried their great empress with much ceremony, praise, and fanfare. All controversy aside, she ruled China for five truly formative decades, and cemented her name in history forever.
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