A Secret Memorial Rocks the Forbidden City

In the autumn of 1874, a confidential memorial from ten senior ministers arrived at the imperial palace, addressed directly to the two empress dowagers. Empress Dowager Cixi studied the document carefully, her initial reaction one of profound displeasure. The memorial’s arguments about “principle” and “expediency” failed to convince her, and personally, she felt deeply offended. Her fortieth birthday, which should have been an occasion for magnificent celebration, had been overshadowed by political turmoil. In her frustration, she blamed her adopted son, the Tongzhi Emperor, whose irresponsible behavior had provoked these unwelcome criticisms.

After spending hours in solitary anger, Cixi’s emotions gradually settled. Rereading the memorial, she decided consultation with Empress Dowager Ci’an was necessary. When Ci’an arrived, Cixi read the document aloud and mentioned additional concerns raised by the Princess Consort of Prince Chun. Both women shook their heads in dismay at the deteriorating situation.

Ci’an maintained remarkable composure despite her inner turmoil. Though pale with anxiety, she delivered a decisive verdict: “The garden construction must cease!” Cixi resisted this conclusion but found herself unable to argue against it. The project hadn’t begun through an imperial decree, she noted, so why should it end with one? Ci’an proposed the emperor should issue the cessation order himself, then raised additional financial concerns about recent foreign loans approved for coastal defense projects. The weight of these problems left Cixi silent and exasperated.

The Tongzhi Emperor’s Reckless Reign

The year 1874 found China at a critical juncture. The Tongzhi Restoration, intended to revitalize the Qing dynasty after the devastating Taiping Rebellion, was showing cracks. The young emperor, then nineteen years old, had formally assumed power in 1873 when the empress dowagers ended their regency. Yet his personal conduct was becoming increasingly problematic.

Historical context reveals this period as one of immense challenges for China. Western powers and Japan were applying relentless pressure on the weakening Qing empire. The Self-Strengthening Movement, led by officials like Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, attempted to modernize China’s military and infrastructure while preserving traditional values. Against this backdrop, the emperor’s behavior represented more than personal failings—it threatened the fragile stability of the entire restoration effort.

When summoned to the Palace of Eternal Spring, the emperor immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation from the empress dowagers’ expressions. His attempted cheerful greeting met with cold indifference. Ci’an simply pointed to the memorial, indicating he should read it himself.

The emperor’s reaction was predictably defensive. Within two lines, he grew angry, questioning why the ministers had troubled the empress dowagers with matters of state after they had officially retired from governance. Ci’an’s chilly response that the ministers had acted correctly struck the young ruler deeply, as she rarely used such tone with him.

Clashing Perspectives on Imperial Authority

As he continued reading, the emperor’s resentment grew. He dismissed the historical references as irrelevant, particularly the mention of Wen Feng’s martyrdom from fourteen years earlier. The criticism of China’s handling of the Taiwan crisis involving Japanese incursions particularly angered him. Why should ministers responsible for foreign affairs escape blame while criticizing him?

Blinded by this prejudice, the emperor rejected the memorial’s arguments entirely. After finishing the document, he contemplated his response, finally deciding to challenge the ministers directly. His counterargument focused on timing: if these principles and considerations were so important, why hadn’t they been raised the previous autumn when Prince Gong himself had led donations for the garden project? Why suddenly declare the Yuanmingyuan unsuitable as an imperial residence?

This reasoning momentarily silenced Ci’an, but Cixi remained unconvinced about stopping the garden project. Her primary concern was the emperor’s rumored incognito excursions beyond the palace walls. She believed that if the emperor would show genuine repentance and dedication to his duties, the garden construction might continue gradually as funds became available.

Their confrontation escalated when Cixi alluded to knowledge of his activities beyond Haidian. The emperor’s denial and accusation that someone was spreading rumors about him only provoked Cixi further. Her revelation that the information came from the Princess Consort of Prince Chun left him speechless but furious at this betrayal of confidence.

The Geopolitical Background: Foreign Pressures Mount

While this domestic drama unfolded, China faced significant external threats that formed the crucial backdrop to these imperial tensions. The Taiwan incident referenced in the memorial involved Japanese expansionism that would have profound consequences for East Asian relations.

In May 1874, Japan dispatched a military expedition to Taiwan, ostensibly to punish indigenous tribes who had murdered Ryukyuan sailors. This action tested China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan and its ability to defend its territory. The Qing government, already financially strained from suppressing massive rebellions and dealing with Western imperialism, now confronted Japanese modernization efforts that mirrored—and threatened to surpass—China’s own self-strengthening initiatives.

The diplomatic dimension emerged through the arrival of Japanese envoy Ōkubo Toshimichi in Tianjin for negotiations with Li Hongzhang. Ōkubo, a prominent leader from Japan’s Satsuma domain, represented a newly assertive Japan that had undergone the Meiji Restoration just six years earlier. His mission aimed to either secure a favorable settlement or potentially escalate toward war, with financial compensation being a primary objective.

This external pressure intensified the domestic crisis. Chinese officials recognized the painful irony: Japan, traditionally viewed as a subordinate neighbor, now demanded concessions from China while the emperor focused on pleasure gardens and incognito excursions.

The Cultural Dimensions of the Crisis

Beyond immediate political implications, this episode revealed deeper cultural tensions within late Qing China. The conflict between traditional Confucian expectations of ruler virtue and the realities of imperial power manifested clearly in the ministers’ memorial and the subsequent reactions.

The concept of the “mandate of heaven” implicitly underlay the ministers’ concerns. A ruler who failed to maintain proper conduct risked losing legitimacy, potentially inviting natural disasters, rebellions, or foreign invasions. The Tongzhi Emperor’s behavior—particularly his alleged incognito excursions—violated fundamental Confucian principles of ruler deportment.

Meanwhile, the debate over the Yuanmingyuan reconstruction reflected competing visions of China’s restoration. For conservatives, rebuilding the destroyed Summer Palace symbolized restoring Qing prestige and traditional order. For practical reformers, it represented wasteful expenditure when funds were desperately needed for military modernization and infrastructure projects.

The generation gap between the young emperor and his advisors further complicated matters. Tongzhi represented a new generation that had grown up during China’s greatest crisis yet lacked firsthand experience of the Taiping Rebellion’s horrors that had motivated his senior officials’ dedication to restoration.

Resolution and Consequences

The immediate resolution saw Prince Gong and the senior ministers ultimately prevailing. Under pressure from the empress dowagers and facing the undeniable logic of the situation, the emperor reluctantly issued orders to cease the garden construction.

This episode marked a significant political defeat for the Tongzhi Emperor and diminished his authority. His resentment toward Prince Gong and the senior ministers would continue to simmer, affecting court politics until his death just a few months later in January 1875 from smallpox—a demise some historians attribute at least partially to his continued reckless behavior despite the earlier warnings.

The Taiwan settlement with Japan, finalized in October 1874, saw China paying indemnities to Japan while Japan withdrew its forces—a diplomatic solution that preserved Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan nominally but revealed Qing weakness internationally.

Historical Legacy and Modern Relevance

The crisis of 1874 represents a pivotal moment in late Qing history that foreshadowed greater challenges to come. Several important legacies emerged from this episode:

First, it demonstrated the limitations of the Self-Strengthening Movement. While officials like Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang pursued practical modernization projects, the court remained distracted by internal politics and extravagant projects. The difficulty in stopping the garden construction despite obvious financial constraints revealed deeper structural problems in Qing governance.

Second, the incident highlighted the growing generation gap and communication problems within the Qing leadership. The emperor’s resentment toward his senior officials and their inability to effectively guide him reflected a breakdown in traditional mentor-disciple relationships that had previously stabilized imperial governance.

Third, the Taiwan settlement established problematic precedents for handling foreign aggression that would haunt China in subsequent decades. The combination of diplomatic compromise and financial compensation without addressing underlying military weaknesses created a pattern that would repeat itself with increasingly disastrous consequences.

Finally, the personal tragedy of the Tongzhi Emperor serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of leadership education and preparation. His failure to transition successfully from controlled adolescence to responsible rulership underscores the human dimensions behind institutional decline.

Today, this historical episode offers lessons about leadership, governance, and the challenges of modernization. The tension between traditional values and necessary reform, between personal desires and public responsibilities, and between domestic priorities and international pressures remains relevant for contemporary nations navigating complex global landscapes.

The crisis of 1874 ultimately reminds us that historical turning points often arrive not as dramatic invasions or revolutions but as accumulated failures of judgment, character, and vision within leadership—a lesson with enduring significance across cultures and centuries.