Hence, Cixi launched a coup that transferred all authority and powers to her till her son, Tongzhi, came of age. Known to share the late Emperor’s views on the West, Cixi was afraid that with themn power the empire would plunge deeper into crisis. State-affairs were assigned to a Board of Regents chosen by her husband till her son came of age. Cixi understood that it was in the interests of the empire to engage with the West instead of following a contractionary trade and foreign policy. She was consequently promoted to a higher position and gained prominence.Įmperor Xianfeng’s lack of foreign policy understanding and deep-seated loathing for the Westerners was seen by Cixi as the primary cause for the empire’s defeat in the hands of the foreign powers during the Second Opium War (1856-1860). This changed with the birth of her son, Tongzhi (1856), the heir to the throne.

Initially left as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi was hardly taken notice of by the Emperor.

The first section takes the reader through the initial years of Empress Dowager’s life in the Summer Palace as an imperial concubine of Emperor Xianfeng (1835-56). The book is divided into six sections with each section devoted to the various stages and the important events that shaped her life. The book narrates the story of a concubine who, with the desire to protect her empire, transforms into an ‘amazing stateswoman’ (pp. 298), and most importantly, a strong woman who stood her ground among the misogynistic male bureaucracy and society. The author throws new light on Cixi’s reign by describing her as an ‘astute’ ruler (pp. Using newly available Chinese records and historical documents, Jung Chang, through this detailed biography of Empress Dowager, constructs a compelling counter narrative. Commonly perceived to be anti-Western and deeply traditional, Cixi is often accused of being the primary reason for China’s humiliating defeat in the Sino-Japanese war in 1895. Her adopted son, Emperor Guangxu was known to be a reformer, moderniser and heralded for shaping modern China during its nascent stages. 373), Empress Dowager Cixi was known as a traditionalist and unfalteringly opposed to modernisation and any engagements with the West. Commonly perceived as ‘tyrannical’, ‘vicious’ and ‘incompetent’ (pp.

Through the Empress Dowager Cixi’s biography, Jung Chang has attempted a reappraisal of a controversial figure in Chinese history – Empress Dowager Cixi (Qing dynasty) –who ruled for over four decades, during some of the most turbulent years in Chinese history (1861-1908). JUNG CHANG, Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine who Launched Modern China. Sharanya Menon, Research Intern, Institute of Chinese Studies

Empress cixi book