Empress Dowager Cixi

She died on November 15, 1908, a day after Guangxu Emperor’s death. Prior to her death, on November 14, 1908, she enthroned Puyi, grandson of Yixuan, Prince Chun as the new emperor.

Cixi was born on November 29, 1835, to Yehenara Huizheng and Lady Fuca. According to palace archives, her father, who was an ordinary official from the Manchu Yehenara clan, was working in Beijing in 1835, indicating her place of birth as Beijing.

In 1851, she was selected as one of the concubines of Xianfeng Emperor with a few others among 60 candidates. She was styled "Noble Lady Lan" being positioned in the 6th rank of imperial consorts.

She became "Imperial Concubine Yi" in 1854, being raised to the 5th rank of consorts.

She gave birth to Zaichun on April 27, 1856, who became the only surviving son of the emperor. Following Zaichun’s birth she was promoted to the 4th rank as "Consort Yi" and in the following year she climbed to the third rank of consorts as "Noble Consort Yi", a position second to the Empress.

Her reading and writing skills in Chinese language, hard to find in other Manchu women in the imperial household, led her to regularly aid the ailing emperor in running his state affairs thus giving Cixi a hand on experience on the art of governing as also equipped her with important data.

On August 22, 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor, who was already in an ailing health condition, died at the Chengde Mountain Resort in Rehe Province.

Before his death, the emperor inducted eight of his most prestigious ministers as the "Eight Regent Ministers" to guide his only surviving son Zaichun, the future emperor.

As a result of the death of the emperor, the Empress and Cixi were elevated to the positions of Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi respectively. Zaichun was enthroned on November 11, 1861.

Cixi’s sharp political sense and prior experience in aiding the emperor in state affairs gradually developed her into an astute political strategist.

She took Empress Dowager Ci'an into confidence and conspired secretly with Prince Gong and Prince Chun - brothers of the late emperor, and with skilled ministers and soldiers who faced ostracism in the hands of the eight regents led by Sushun, Zaiyuan and Duanhua.