Wonder Woman of the Week: Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi, the most powerful woman in Qing China, ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly half a century. Born in 1835 to a modest Manchu family, Cixi entered the Forbidden City as a concubine to the Xianfeng Emperor. After his death, she became the de facto ruler, wielding influence behind the throne during the reigns of her young son, Emperor Tongzhi, and her nephew, Emperor Guangxu. Cixi’s reign was marked by her shrewd political maneuvering and her ability to maintain power in an era of profound social and political upheaval.

Despite her initial low status, Cixi's political acumen enabled her to outlast rivals and maintain control over the Qing court. She was instrumental in responding to internal rebellions, including the Taiping Rebellion, and external pressures, notably the Opium Wars. While her policies often favored conservatism, Cixi was not averse to change. She supported the Self-Strengthening Movement, which aimed to modernize China’s military and industrial sectors, and she occasionally backed reforms to improve the empire's infrastructure. Yet, her resistance to more sweeping reforms, particularly during the late 19th century, would contribute to the Qing dynasty’s eventual collapse.

Her legacy remains deeply contested, as Cixi’s actions often walked a fine line between pragmatism and resistance to change. She presided over the Boxer Rebellion, which led to devastating foreign intervention in China, and her opposition to the reforms of Emperor Guangxu in the 1898 "Hundred Days’ Reform" sealed her reputation as an autocrat. Yet, she was also a patron of the arts, overseeing the creation of elaborate palace gardens and supporting the cultural flourishing of the late Qing period. Cixi’s reign, both criticized and revered, marks a crucial chapter in China’s transition from imperial rule to the early stages of modernization.