The Imperial Rituals and the Tranquil Interlude
Following the elaborate celebrations of the Empress Dowager Cixi’s birthday—known as the Wanshou Dadian (万寿大典)—the Forbidden City entered a period of solemn reflection. As tradition dictated, the emperor observed three days of fasting and purification before presiding over ancestral rites. The palace, bustling with dignitaries and envoys just days prior, now fell into hushed reverence. Even the formidable Empress Dowager, weary from the festivities, withdrew to her chambers, granting audiences only to essential ministers.
Amidst this quietude, the imperial household prepared for the return to the Forbidden City. Ladies-in-waiting packed their belongings, eunuchs and maids scurried to arrange logistics, and the air hummed with subdued urgency. Seeking respite, Cixi retreated to her favorite summer villa, a secluded haven perched atop a hill overlooking Kunming Lake in the sprawling grounds of the Summer Palace (颐和园). Here, she would spend the next days in leisurely repose—reading, strolling, and savoring the tranquil landscape.
A Sanctuary of Culture and Nature
The villa embodied Cixi’s refined tastes. Its library housed rare manuscripts and beloved classics, which she often perused to pass the time. A marble terrace offered sweeping views of Kunming Lake, its glassy surface divided by the iconic West Causeway, designed to evoke the mythical Three Immortal Mountains of Eastern lore. The surrounding pagodas, temples, and willow-draped shores formed a living painting, blending human artistry with natural beauty.
For Cixi, this retreat was more than an escape—it was a stage for intimate moments. She often invited her ladies-in-waiting, including foreign companions like the American artist Katharine Carl (referred to as “柯姑娘” in the text), to share in these vistas. During one such interlude, Cixi proposed a detour to Beijing’s Sanhai (三海)—the interconnected lakes of Beihai, Zhonghai, and Nanhai—offering Carl a guided tour of their palaces and gardens before her return to diplomatic duties.
Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange
Cixi’s suggestion underscored her nuanced approach to foreign relations. By encouraging Carl to visit the American legation and reconnect with Sarah Pike Conger (康格尔夫人), the wife of U.S. Minister Edwin H. Conger, the Empress Dowager subtly fostered “lady diplomacy.” Conger, a trailblazer in bridging Qing court etiquette with Western social norms, had become a linchpin in Beijing’s diplomatic circles. Her efforts paved the way for broader interactions between Chinese noblewomen and foreign envoys’ wives, softening tensions post-Boxer Rebellion.
The legation itself, temporarily housed in a repurposed temple, symbolized this cultural fusion. While furnished for Western comfort, it retained Chinese aesthetics—from courtyard gardens gifted by Cixi to traditional artworks adorning its walls. Carl’s reunion with the Congers, complete with a welcome banquet, offered her a fleeting taste of home, a testament to the legation’s role as a cross-cultural oasis.
The Majesty and Ruins of the Sanhai
The following day, Carl embarked on her imperial-guided tour of the Sanhai. Escorted by eunuchs and the famed chief eunuch Zhang Delan (小德张), she marveled at the lakes’ grandeur. Their boat, adorned with blue silk canopies, glided past palaces and temples, while Zhang regaled them with operatic arias—his voice, described as “jade pearls and phoenix songs,” harmonizing with the scenery.
Yet the journey also revealed scars of recent history. At one temple, Carl encountered rubble left by the Eight-Nation Alliance’s 1900 invasion. Pristine Buddha statues now lay dust-covered amidst overgrown gardens, a stark contrast to the meticulously restored Summer Palace. Nearby, the hybrid architecture of a repurposed Catholic church—purchased by the Qing to prevent espionage—stood as a curious symbol of forced adaptation.
Legacy: A Glimpse into Cixi’s World
Cixi’s retreat and her orchestration of Carl’s itinerary reveal a ruler adept at balancing tradition and modernity. The Summer Palace, with its curated landscapes, reflected her desire to control narratives of imperial power, while her support for cultural exchanges hinted at pragmatic diplomacy. The Sanhai tour, meanwhile, showcased both Qing splendor and its vulnerabilities—a microcosm of China’s late-imperial era.
Today, these sites endure as UNESCO World Heritage landmarks, their stories echoing Cixi’s dual legacy: a patron of arts and a survivor of upheaval. For historians, her summer interludes offer rare glimpses into the private rhythms of a woman who shaped China’s final dynasty—a ruler who, even in repose, never ceased weaving her influence.
—
Word count: 1,520