(born Nov. 29, 1835, Beijing, China — died Nov. 15, 1908, Beijing) Imperial consort who controlled the Chinese
Qing dynasty for almost half a century. A low-ranking concubine of the Xianfeng emperor (r. 1850 – 61), Cixi bore his only son, the future Tongzhi emperor, in 1856. After the emperor's death, Cixi joined a triumviral regency that governed in the name of her son, who was only 6 at his accession. During that period the
Taiping and
Nian rebellions were put down and the government was briefly revitalized. When Cixi's son died in 1875, Cixi violated the laws of succession and had her adoptive nephew enthroned. The regency thus continued, with Cixi becoming sole regent in 1884. In 1889 she nominally relinquished control but returned in 1898 to undo a set of radical reforms and had her nephew imprisoned in his palace. She supported the unsuccessful
Boxer Rebellion, which had disastrous consequences for China. In 1902 she began to implement the reforms she had earlier reversed. Before she died, she ordered her nephew poisoned.
See also Zeng Guofan;
Zhang Zhidong.
For more information on
Cixi,
visit Britannica.com.
