A Dynasty in Peril: The Qing Empire Under Siege

In the tenth year of Xianfeng’s reign (1860), the once-mighty Qing Dynasty found itself teetering on the brink of catastrophe. As Anglo-French forces breached Tianjin’s defenses and advanced toward Beijing, Emperor Xianfeng faced an existential threat unlike any since the Manchu conquest of China two centuries earlier. The imperial court, ensconced in the opulent Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), became a tableau of panic and indecision.

This crisis unfolded against the backdrop of the Second Opium War (1856-1860), where Western powers sought to expand their trading privileges through military might. The Qing military, led by the trusted Mongol commander Sengge Rinchen, suffered devastating defeats against modern European weaponry. By early August 1860, with negotiations collapsed and enemy troops approaching, the Forbidden City’s elaborate defense systems proved woefully inadequate.

The Emperor’s Paralysis and Courtly Dissent

On the fourth day of the eighth lunar month, devastating news reached the Summer Palace: diplomatic efforts had failed, and foreign armies would soon arrive at Beijing’s gates. Historical accounts describe Emperor Xianfeng—normally a figure of imperial majesty—reduced to helpless pacing before breaking down in tears. His consorts followed suit, creating a scene of collective despair.

Amid this chaos, one woman remained composed: the Noble Consort Yi (later known as Empress Dowager Cixi). In a dramatic intervention, she rebuked the weeping courtiers: “What good comes from circling around weeping in crisis?” Her solution was radical—summon Prince Gong (Yixin), the emperor’s estranged half-brother and political rival, whose administrative talents had been sidelined for years.

This moment revealed three critical dynamics:
1. Noble Consort Yi’s extraordinary composure under pressure
2. The rehabilitation of Prince Gong as a strategic thinker
3. The weakening influence of the emperor’s chief advisor, Sushun

The Great Debate: Fight or Flight?

When Prince Gong arrived, he advocated for a bold strategy: the emperor should remain in Beijing to personally direct the capital’s defense, rallying troops and civilians alike. This position aligned with Confucian ideals of imperial responsibility—the Son of Heaven as defender of his realm.

Sushun, the powerful regent, countered with pragmatic realism. Invoking the proverb “Keep the green hills, and you’ll never lack firewood,” he urged immediate retreat to the Chengde Mountain Resort (Rehe), preserving the imperial house to fight another day. The debate mirrored age-old tensions in Chinese statecraft between symbolic duty and strategic survival.

Noble Consort Yi’s second forceful intervention—supporting Prince Gong’s stance—marked her emergence as a political actor. Historical records suggest this wasn’t her first attempt to prevent imperial retreat; weeks earlier, she had blocked a similar evacuation proposal from General Sengge Rinchen.

Sushun’s Poisoned Counsel

After the public debate, Sushun employed psychological warfare in private. Invoking the 1127 Jingkang Incident—when Jurchen invaders abducted two Song emperors—he painted apocalyptic scenarios of foreign captivity. More insidiously, he weaponized Noble Consort Yi’s Yehe Nara lineage, recalling a 16th-century curse by a defeated Yehe chieftain: “Even if only one woman of Yehe Nara remains, she will destroy the Jianzhou Jurchens” (the Manchu ancestors).

Drawing parallels to Emperor Wu of Han’s execution of Lady Gouyi—mother of his heir—to prevent maternal interference, Sushun implied Noble Consort Yi must be eliminated. Though Xianfeng lacked the resolve for such drastic measures, the seeds of distrust were sown. On August 8, 1860, the emperor ordered what history euphemistically terms the “Mulan Autumn Hunt”—in reality, a panicked flight to Chengde.

The Road to Rehe: A Court Divided

The imperial procession’s chaotic departure from the Summer Palace revealed deepening fractures:
– Emperor Xianfeng and Sushun traveled comfortably in the lead
– Empress Dowager Ci’an followed with her attendants
– Noble Consort Yi and the heir apparent, Zaichun (future Tongzhi Emperor), were relegated to a dilapidated carriage

Contemporary observers noted Noble Consort Yi’s remarkable alertness during the exodus. She maintained two unwavering priorities: safeguarding the crown prince (her key to future influence) and monitoring Sushun’s movements. This strategic foresight would prove decisive in coming power struggles.

Legacy of the 1860 Crisis

The flight to Rehe precipitated three transformative outcomes:
1. The Anglo-French forces’ destruction of the Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) became China’s enduring symbol of “national humiliation”
2. Prince Gong’s subsequent negotiations established the Zongli Yamen, modernizing Qing foreign relations
3. Noble Consort Yi’s political awakening paved her path to becoming Empress Dowager Cixi, de facto ruler for nearly half a century

The crisis exposed Qing China’s institutional decay while demonstrating how personal rivalries could shape national destiny. Xianfeng’s death in Rehe the following year triggered the Xinyou Coup (1861), where Cixi and Prince Gong overthrew Sushun’s regency—a watershed confirming Noble Consort Yi’s political genius and the Yehe Nara clan’s improbable ascendancy.

Modern historians view 1860 as the moment when China’s imperial system lost its ability to dictate terms of engagement with the West. The psychological trauma of the emperor’s flight and Yuanmingyuan’s burning fueled both late Qing reform efforts and anti-foreign sentiment—a dual legacy influencing Chinese foreign policy to this day.