Page 42 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

imperial China. Together they strategically removed and imprisoned the eight appointed

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regents, establishing themselves as the young emperor’s only regents. Both women

changed their names, reflecting the change in political position. Zhen took the name

Empress Dowager Ci’an 孝貞顯皇後, meaning kind and serene. Cixi’s 慈禧 name,

meaning kind and joyous, would remain attached to her for the remainder of her life.

While the two women were active behind the scenes within the imperial palace, they

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were often not visible and maintained unique personalities. Cixi was known to be

politically motivated, and Ci’an, who had a lower level of education, allowed Cixi to take

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a stronger leadership role. The differences between Ci’an and Cixi were further

emphasized when they were given opposing monikers, with Cixi known as the western

empress dowager and Zhen as the eastern empress dowager.

In 1873, the regency shared over the Tongzhi Emperor lifted due to his age, but

historically both women were still highly involved in monitoring his policies in the

Forbidden City. Despite the disadvantages associated with her gender, Cixi successfully

navigated the restrictions that confronted her within the Forbidden City. As a woman,

she was not allowed in parts of the Forbidden City or to be seen by certain government

ministers. Cixi attended meetings seated behind a screen in order to maintain control of

her officials. When orders had to be executed in areas of the palace that were off-limits

15 Many scholars designate Cixi’s involvement in declaring herself and Ci’an the regents of
Tongzhi as a coup.
16 Women were not allowed to entire certain parts of the Forbidden City due to their gender and
were also not allowed to be seen publicly. The majority of Cixi and Ci’an’s influence on Tongzhi
was accomplished while sitting behind a divided screen.
17 Victor H. Mair, Sanping Chen, and Frances Wood, Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a
Civilization (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2013), 195.

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