Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi was the empress dowager in China during the late Qing dynasty. She is noted to be the most powerful leader in China during the Guangxu period. Empress Dowager Cixi ruled for a Qing dynasty 47 years. She was a member of the Manchu Yeh Nara community, which gave her the power to effectively govern and control the Chinese government for 47 years in the Qing dynasty. Norton (2018)  pointed out that Empress Dowager Cixi ruled from 1861 to 1908 when she died out of acute arsenic poisoning. It is noted that Cixi had been selected as one of the concubines of  Xianfeng Emperor at a tender age. In 1856, she gave birth to a son named Zaichun who became the emperor after his father’s death. Empress Dowager Cixi and her son reorganized Tongezhi and consolidated power over the dynasty. This was done by strategically putting her nephew to be the Guangxu Emperor in 1875. Empress Dowager Cixi’s actions to install her nephew as the Tongzhi Emperor was contrary to Chinese rules of succession and was considered out of order. The 47 years of Empress Dowager Cixi rule had a significant impact on Chinese emperorship and changed a lot of things in China. Empress Dowager Cixi fostered the restoration of China through various reforms, and by refusing to adopt the Western system of governance, she contributed to making China what it is today. This paper intends to explore Empress Dowager Cixi and her contributions in China, and it will examine her legacy and how they influenced the country today.

Ho (2019) pointed out that Empress Dowager Cixi is considered one of the most influential leaders in the history of China. Her admirable skills in leadership are attributed to the fact that she was educated. Her father refused to follow the feudal ideology of the Qing dynasty that focused on educating the only boy and not girls. He instead educated Empress Dowager Cixi to be more attentive and aggressive on issues of governance and power. Empress Dowager Cixi’s father also acted as a role model, and she grew up wanting to be like him. Even though she lacked formal education, Empress Dowager Cixi had imperial education that cultivated in her the desire and skills of leadership. Further, as the emperor, she continued with her Confucian education, which furthered her leadership talent.

Empress Dowager Cixi is also noted to be the most controversial and powerful leader in China, even though she was only semi-literate (Ho, 2019). The love for education helps Empress Dowager Cixi to transform from a sixteen-year-old concubine to one of the greatest leaders in the history of China. After taking over power, Empress Dowager Cixi formulated education reforms that encouraged education for all and managed several changes in education programs such as mathematics. China is a vast country with people that have diverse ideologies and views that could only be ruled by educated leaders. During the Qing dynasty, formal education was rear and valueless. Education focused on training of Chinese culture, traditions, martial arts, and other skills for survival. Few legal institutions were meant for students from higher social classes. In her reign, Cixi ensured education reforms that focused on formal education on equal ground for both girls and boys. In a nutshell, Empress Dowager Cixi managed to reign China for 47 years due to her education and the level of experience she got from her father. Her ability to read and write helped her to relate with the western powers who wanted to assimilate the country.

Empress Dowager Cixi was intelligent and skillful about the issues of power. Peng (2012) noted that sometimes, she is referred to as Chui Lian ting zheng, implying that she is not just an emperor but the power and control of the authority. Her intellectual abilities can be observed when she consolidated power by appointing her nephew as the Tongzhi emperor to give her full rule over the country. Further, through her intellectual skills, she supervised and organized the restoration of Tonzhi. The restoration involved a series of reforms that were meant to help the regime survive the great economic depression. Cixi supported reforms in the technology and military dockets to strengthen her rule over the communities. Because she was an intellect, she refused sudden implementation without other leaders’ support. She knows that drastic changes may expose Chinese weaknesses, which other countries would take advantage of. Another action that shows her experience and leadership intelligence is when she decided to put Guanxu under virtual house arrest. Peng (2012) reported that Guangxu tried to assassinate her and also supported radical reformers who were her allies. Cixi made her enemy’s friends restore peace and order during her reign, a skill that only intellectual leaders have today. She was good and experienced in decision making. Cixi’s actions were more future forecasts because she cared for the next generation. Sometimes, Cixi collaborated and cooperated with foreigners for Chinese benefit. In the last periods of her leadership, she became friendly to foreigners to ensure that she delivered to best to the country. Her partnership with other emperors promoted peace and harmony within the region, and this created a desirable environment for economic growth.

In the late years of the closed Qing dynasty, Cixi supported western culture instead of a comprehensive western culture (Peng, 2012). While she was in power, Cixi builds the first section of the Chinese railway. This was after she had refused the construction for the last twenty years because she listened to Chinese ideas about the project. Many people by then felt that the railway was a strategy that the westerners wanted to control the nation, and many officials were against the construction.  Cixi herself was against the barbarian westerner, who only focused on their self-interest and did not care about the natives. For such reasons, Cixi refused to agree with most of the Westerners’ ideologies and strict to people’s will. Towards the end of the Qing dynasty, Cixi accepted some of the western cultures and ideas based on people’s advice and views (Ho, 2019). This is proof that Empress Dowager Cixi was a listening ruler, and she had people’s opinions in her mind before making a decision. By adopting some of the western cultures, Cixi was able to implement some of her policies such as education reforms, fiscal and institution reforms, abolition of slavery, corporal punishment, and tradition examination system. Peng (2012) acknowledged that one of the outstanding results of collaboration and adoption of western ideas is the building of Peking University. It is also noted that Cixi worked together with the western nations to ensure that she had the strength and power to rule and lead the nation.  The fiscal and institution policies resulted in reforms in the laws and court system. This had a significant impact on the type of leadership practice transforming Chine into a constitutional monarchy. Cixi’s friendship and collaboration with westerners lead to the adoption of some of the western cultures and ideologies that positively influenced Chinese economic growth and development.

Through a series of criticism, Cixi managed to increase development and peaceful co-existence in China. By working with foreigners, she opened up China for international business o trade activities (Xiong & Hammond, 2018).  With help from foreign officers, Cixi pacified the balance of the Pacific. She allowed the importation of new technological advancements, business ideas, and other vital aspects from foreign countries in China. This ensured faster industrialization with modern production methods in the country during her reign. The construction of the first phase of the railway opened up China for international trade and encourage importation and exportation of manufactured goods and services. Cixi’s friendly relationship with the westerners during the end of her reign promoted peace in the country and marked a different view of westerners by the people. In response to Cixi’s acceptance, the westerners stopped their barbarian and authoritative actions towards Chinese people. This period created sanity in the relationship between the westerners and the Chinese people. Xiong & Hammond (2018) noted that Cixi invited many women leaders from other countries to come and advise and give their point of view on the economy of the nations. By gathering different ideas from various world leaders, Cixi was able to foster faster economic development and growth towards the end of her reign.  It is noted that towards the end of the Qing dynasty, there was more positive changes in the systems such as courts, political, and economic policy. The method of governance shifted to a constitutional monarchy. The difference in the management marks one of the greatest achievements of Empress Dowager Cixi while in power.

Despite Cixi’s great achievements, some of her actions adversely influenced China. First, I wish to expound one unfair treaty she sighed and how it was harmful to the country. In 1905, they agreed to the abolition of the examination system but later secretly signed agreements and new policies that were more radical than the ones proposed (Xiong & Hammond, 2018). Her new education reforms encourage the western education system, which eroded the Chinese culture. This directly harms the Chinese culture and believes. Cixi’s agreement to include the western aspects of the education system was a sense of betrayal to the Chinese culture, which was to be passed from generation to generation through education. Further, it is noted that reformers who disagreed with Cixi reforms were beheaded, and such actions showed misuse of power. Cixi’s deep involvement with the westerners contributed to the erosion and assimilation of some of the Chinese cultures, religious believers, and values.

Historians have debated on Cixi’s legacy base on some of her actions. Some historians view her as a ruthless despot who misleads China in various ways. Ho (2019) forwards that the proposers of such a description borrow from her decision to go against traditional rules of succession and point her nephew to be the Guangxu emperor. It is argued that she ought to have obeyed the tradition ways of ruling.  Some historians also argue that she used the power to serve her self-interest other than focusing on the interest of the people. Cixi’s prolonged reign is noted to have ailed the Qing dynasty in many aspects.  The period was full of oppression, excessive use of power for self-gain. There was a lack of political order with non-effective reforms. Most historians from China argue that Cixi was relentless and deeply divided the country. During Cixi time, there were various internal wars and foreign challenges that required an experienced leader. Also, her support for boxer movement was criticized. As a leader, she was not to publicly get involved in resistant movements but instead focus on the country’s internal affairs. Empress Dowager Cixi faces a lot of criticism during her time in power; however, it is reported that most of her actions resulted in a better society in the country.

In my perspective, empress dowager Cixi was a wise, intelligent, brave, and good women leader. She managed to consolidate power and foster reforms that would later change the history of China. Even her legacy can be noted even in the current society. Her education reforms that encouraged formal education for both males and females can be seen even today. This is proof that Cixi supported gender equality, which helps society grow and develop uniformly. The construction of the railways in China begun with her collaborative work with foreigners. This has improved international trade in China and opened more business opportunities. Empress Dowager Cixi fostered the restoration of China through various reforms, and by refusing to adopt the Western system of governance, she contributed to making China what it is today. I support her recovery involved a series of reforms that were meant to help the regime survive the great economic depression. Cixi supported reforms in the technology and military dockets to strengthen her rule over the communities.

References

Ho, E. (2019). Last Empress Fiction and Asian Neo-Victorianism. Neo-Victorian Studies, 11(2).

Norton, H. (2018). Exhibit Review: Empress Dowager Cixi: Selections from the Summer Palace. History in the Making, 11(1), 24.

Peng, Y. C. (2012). A Palace of Her Own: Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) and the Reconstruction of the Wanchun Yuan. Nan nü, 14(1), 47-74.

Xiong, V. C., & Hammond, K. J. (2018). Routledge Handbook of Imperial Chinese History. Routledge.