![]() ![]() During her reign, foreigners and some of Cixi’s countrymen considered the Qing court to be conservative, corrupt, and incompetent. Powerful as she was, she did not have a good reputation abroad. She was regent to two successive emperors. From the 1860s until her death in 1908, Cixi dominated the Qing court and policies. They signify good relationships between the Qing court and the respective countries that these women are from.Ĭixi is a contradictory figure in Chinese history. ![]() Each of the foreign women holds a folding fan and wears a bottle gourd pendant (a symbol of fortune and prosperity). Their holding hands is a gesture of friendship. Conger spoke highly of Cixi’s many virtues in newspaper articles and books. 1843–1932), wife of the American diplomat to Beijing. ![]() The woman holding Cixi’s hand is Sarah Pike Conger (c. Standing around her are the wives of foreign envoys. The auspicious emblems signify the wish of longevity for herself and, by extension, for the Qing dynasty. ![]() Behind her is a banner that says “Long Live the Current Divine Mother Empress Dowager of the Great Qing Empire for Ten Thousand Years.” Her embroidered robe is covered with stylized longevity characters and chrysanthemums, a symbol for long life. It was taken in the Hall of Happiness and Longevity (Leshou tang) in the Summer Palace, Beijing. This is an iconic photo of Cixi (1835–1908), the Empress Dowager of Qing China (1644–1911), in the early 1900s. ![]()
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