什麼是慈禧

Cixi，亦拼作Tz'u-hsi。

以「慈禧太后」聞名

主宰中國清朝近半世紀之皇后。慈禧本來在咸豐皇帝（1850～1861年在位）的妃嬪中位階甚低，但她於1856年生下皇帝唯一的子嗣，即未來的同治皇帝。咸豐皇帝死後，其子以六歲之齡繼位，慈禧乃聯合另外兩人共同以其子之名義聯合攝政。在這段時間，太平天國之亂和捻亂相繼平定，政府短暫回覆生機。當慈禧之子於1875年逝世，她違反繼承法，扶立其收養的侄子繼承皇位。攝政體制因此延續下來，慈禧並於1884年成為唯一的攝政者。西元1889年，慈禧名義上放下控制，但她於1898年重掌大權，廢止一整套激進的改革，並將其侄子囚禁於皇宮內。她支援的義和團事件終告失敗，併為中國留下負面的影響。西元1902年，慈禧開始實施她早先所推翻的改革。她在死前，曾下令毒死其侄子。亦請參閱Zeng Guofan、Zhang Zhidong。

1835～1908年

Cixi

Imperial consort who controlled the Chinese Qing dynasty for almost half a century. A low-ranking concubine of the Xianfeng emperor (r. 1850-61), Cixi bore his only son, the future Tongzhi emperor, in 1856. After the emperor's death, Cixi joined a triumviral regency that governed in the name of her son, who was only 6 at his accession. During this period the Taiping and Nian Rebellions were put down and the government was briefly revitalized. When Cixi's son died in 1875, Cixi violated the laws of succession and had her adoptive nephew enthroned. The regency thus continued, with Cixi becoming sole regent in 1884. In 1889 she nominally relinquished control, but returned in 1898 to undo a set of radical reforms and had her nephew imprisoned in his palace. She supported the unsuccessful Boxer Rebellion, with bad consequences for China. In 1902 she began to implement the reforms she had earlier reversed. Before she died, she ordered her nephew poisoned. See also Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong.