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Empress
Dowager Born in 1835, Empress Dowager Cixi was one of the most powerful women in the late 19th century. She started as a concubine and ended up ruling the whole of China. When Cixi was a tender 16 years old and the mere daughter of a Captain, she became the concubine of the Qing Emperor Xianfeng. The Emperor had many wives and courtesans, but only Cixi gave birth to a son. After his was born, she was raised in rank from a third-grade concubine to a first-grade - second only the Empress herself. In 1861, the Emperor died and Cixi's five-year old son, Tongzhi, took his place - so began the famous "rule behind the curtain." In fact, a real bamboo screen was set up behind the boy's throne. When government officials delivered their reports to the Emperor, Cixi listened and told him what to say in return. Dutifully the young emperor parroted her words. When Cixi's son turned seventeen, her regency came to an end. She selected a wife and four concubines for him - purportedly to keep him busy so that she could continue to rule in his name. However, after a few years the Emperor died - possibly of venereal disease. Cixi also chose the next emperor - her own three-year old nephew, Guangxu, who was not in the direct line for succession to the throne. Cixi was an extremely strong ruler, yet she was uneducated in the sense that she was had not been exposed to modern methods of governance. Many people, including Emperor Guangxu, wanted to modernize China in order to stop foreigners from taking over. Cixi did not agree fearing that modernization or Europeanization might weaken her power and increase the power of the literati and officials in society. Cixi had quite a cruel personality and removing unwanted influences was part of the Empress Dowager's arsenal. Following Guangxu's support of the reforms, Cixi had his most loved concubine thrown down a well in apparent retaliation. During her 47-year rule, Cixi was credited with the some of the worst things to befall her era. In her old age she suppressed the Reformists, built the Summer Palace with money meant for improving the Chinese navy, and was indirectly responsible for the Boxer Rebellion and the subsequent invasion of Beijing by Western powers. At the age of 73, Cixi died. And coincidentally, the 37-year-old Emperor Guangxu died the very day before her. Rumor had it that Cixi poisoned him. Before she died, Cixi chose Puyi to be the Last Emperor. Four years later in 1911 Puyi was forced to abdicate by revolutionary forces. In 1928 revolutionaries dynamited Cixi's tomb open, looted it and desecrated her body. As an adult, Puyi became emperor of Manchukuo (a puppet state established by the Japanese in northern China during World War II), but ended his life as an ordinary citizen of communist China . Breakfast with the Empress Dowager During her reign, Cixi's life in the palace was extraordinary in its luxury and opulence. She had a fondness for expensive and exotic food. Let's take a peek at an imperial menu sneaked out by a palace attendant. Menu Date: 7th day of the 10th lunar month, the 10th year of the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (1876). Meal: Breakfast 2 Hot-pots of Eight Treasures Suckling Pig, Gold and Silver Duck 4 Big Bowls of Duck Roasted with Bird's Nest, Fatty Chicken with Bird's Nest, Red and White Chicken Julienne with Bird's Nest, Mixed Chicken Julienne with Bird's Nest 4 Side Bowls of White Chicken Julienne with Bird's Nest, Honey-baked Sea Cucumber, Pigeon Eggs with Ham, Elm Fungus Braised with Stir-fried Meat 6 Dishes - Chicken Julienne Roasted with Bird's Nest, Fish Slices with Mushrooms, Tender Meat with Young Bamboo Shoots, Sliced Meat Braised with Dried Young Bamboo Shoots, Chopped Duck, Fresh Prawn Cakes 2 Side Dishes - Roast Duck, and Roast Pork 4 Maize Cakes What
is Bird's Nest?
The Chinese taste for bird's nest can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is prized for its medicinal qualities and its ability to keep the skin youthful and radiant.
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