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Historians consider the she probably did her best to cope with the difficulties of the era but her conservative attitudes did not serve her well and the Western powers continued to take advantage of the country's relatively low level of technological development.
In 1852, just after ascending the throne, the Xianfeng Emperor decides to hold a nation-wide selection of his future concubines. 18-year-old Cixi and her sister were sent to Beijing for the selection. Although chosen, Cixi did not gain any attention with the emperor until years later. In 1856 Cixi had given birth to the Emperor's only Imperial Prince, to be named heir, and later Tongzhi Emperor.
In 1861, Xianfeng dies. As The Holy Mother Empress Dowager, along with Xianfeng's Empress, Empress Dowager Ci'an, she was able to gain the title of co-regent in 1863 and remained so for most of the period from 1861 until her death in 1908
While seeking China's "self-strengthening" through strictly-controlled industrial and military growth, she opposed attempts at political modernization, staging a coup d'etat (September 21, 1898) against the political influence of the Guangxu Emperor to end the Hundred Days' Reform.
In 1900 her tolerance of Boxer armed action against foreigners in northern China contributed to western invasion and China's humiliating defeat. She died the day after the Guangxu Emperor, who some say was poisoned by her.
Cixi died several days after successfully installing Puyi as the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
Road to Success
Political Power
Historical Opinion
The traditional view is that Cixi was a devious despot who maintained a deathgrip on what little power she had until that power faded out completely. Three years after her death, the Imperial dynasty was itself overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution. However, some authors, such as Sterling Seagrave in his biography The Dragon Lady maintain a far more positive view of Cixi, arguing that she has been unfairly maligned and when seen more closely, her actions were reasonable responses to the difficulties that China faced.