The dragon Lady. Such is the nickname given by western observers to a woman who successfully seized power in late imperial China, and subsequently ruled the celestial empire for half a century, empress dowager Cixi. Her reputation as a ruthless and cruel ruler has often been depicted in both China and the west, while her image at the time was promoted as that of a compassionate leader. Between tradition and modernity, Cixi’s role in the end of the Qing dynasty was undoubtably of pivotal importance for the fate of a whole civilization. But who was she really, and how did a woman outside the imperial clan managed to rule china for over 47 years? Today, I bring you the biography of the the dragon lady, Empress Dowager Cixi.

Imperial Harem video : https://youtu.be/RlCtb_7zGeg

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= MUSIC =
Sao Meo Orchestral Mix
Europa Universalis IV - Peace for Generations
Chinese Traditional Bamboo flute
Civilization V - Wu Zetian War Theme
Han Palace Autumn Moon (Erhu)
Total War Shogun 2 - Resolve
Civilization V - Wu Zetian Peace Theme
Civilization V - Elizabeth I War Theme
Civilization V - Song of Joy
Restless Natives
دوتار اویغور (Uyghur music)
Qing Court Music
Lost in the Forest
Total War Three Kingdoms - End of an Era
The Loyalist - Lotus Lane

= VIDEO CREDITS =
戏说慈禧 (Joking about Cixi) (1993)
Sigh of His Highness (2006)
The Empress Dowager (1975)
The Burning of Imperial Palace (1983)
The Sino-Japanese War at Sea 1894 (2012)

= MAIN SOURCES =
Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644–1912) , (1943), Arthur W. Hummel, Sr.
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China, (2013), Jung Chang
Cixi, the controversial concubine who became queen, led China into the modern age, (2016), Josep Maria Casals

= TAGS =
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emperor tongzhi
tongzhi restoration
Yixin
Prince Gong
self-strengthening movement
self strengthening movement china
empress dowager ci'an
cixi biography
tz'u hsi
empress dowager cixi

Introduction: (0:00)
Early life: (01:11)
Imperial concubine: (02:50)
Rise to power: (05:11)
Tongzhi restoration: (10:43)
Resuming the regency: (23:03)
Conclusion: (28:35)