Emperor Xianfeng fled with Cixi, and the army destroyed the Imperial Summer Palace. In 1860, British and French troops attacked Beijing with a comparatively small force. He had an Empress, his official 'wife,' but Cixi had a son by him. She quickly became one of the favorites of the Emperor. The Summer Palace, in which Dowager Cixi spent her whole life. It also meant that her life was in Emperor Xianfeng's hands, and she might die at any time if he was displeased. It meant she would live in the royal courts and have sex with the emperor along with maybe hundreds of other women. This was considered an honor for girls at that time. She was one of dozens or hundreds of concubines for Emperor Xianfeng early in the 19th century.

This means that she had sex with the emperor at his request. When she was 16, she was sent to be a concubine. Early Life (1835–1861)Ĭixi was born to a Manchu family on Novemin Beijing, at a time when the Qing empire (1644–1912) still seemed to have a lot of strength.

Many people in the early 20th century after she was dead painted her as a monster responsible for the fall of the empire.īut some modern historians portray her as maybe ruling better than others in the royal court, and as a woman caught between rival factions. Her life was hidden behind the screens, and she never really came out. What is true or false about the myths and legends about her is perhaps impossible to determine. People say that she ruled behind the screens somehow, and people around her died mysteriously. Opinion on This Mysterious Ruler is Divided Past the smoke and screens, she lived as a powerful ruler behind two of the last emperors, and had a hand in imperial court policy in the last several decades of the Qing Dynasty. Cixi stands out as infamous in Qing Dynasty history (ruling 1861–1908).

Cixi book