The Gathering Storm: Reformers vs Conservatives in Late Imperial China The summer of 1898 marked a pivotal moment in China’s […]
An Unexpected Gift for the Empress Dowager In 1894, as Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her 60th birthday amidst grand imperial […]
A Young Emperor Takes the Reins On February 25, 1890, Emperor Guangxu formally assumed full governing authority over the Qing […]
The Precarious Path to Power In 1887, Emperor Guangxu reached adulthood according to Qing dynasty traditions, which dictated he should […]
The Rise of a Reluctant Ruler At 46 years old, Empress Dowager Cixi found herself in a position unprecedented for […]
A Throne Without an Heir The death of Emperor Tongzhi in 1875 created an unprecedented constitutional crisis for the Qing […]
The Rise of the Dowager Empresses and a Child Emperor In the mid-19th century, the Qing Dynasty faced unprecedented challenges—internal […]
A Surprising Encounter in Cixi’s Youth Few historical accounts mention that Empress Dowager Cixi, the formidable ruler of late Qing […]
The Fragile Alliance That Saved the Qing Dynasty In the turbulent 1860s, the Qing Empire faced existential threats from the […]
A Capital in Crisis: Foreigners, Rumors, and Imperial Flight The year 1861 marked a turning point for the Qing Dynasty, […]
A Dynasty in Decline: The Inheritance of a Failing Empire When Emperor Xianfeng ascended the throne in 1850, he inherited […]
The Gathering Storm: China and the West Before 1839 For centuries, the Middle Kingdom had viewed itself as the center […]
From Humble Beginnings to the Forbidden City Empress Dowager Cixi’s origins remain one of the most debated subjects in late […]
