Fung's interest in Cixi is shaped both by her heritage and her reading of Chinese history. "Empress Dowager Cixi is a fascinating figure because she represents a contradiction — she wielded ...

Toward the end of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi arrogated all powers onto herself. This period, called the Guangxu Xuantong Reign, was China's darkest and most corrupt political period.

The Diplomat’s Justin McDonnell spoke with author Jung Chang about her latest book, Empress Dowager Cixi, a biography of the “most important woman in Chinese history.

That was Empress Dowager Cixi’s life story; the woman who ruled China in the 19th century and arguably the most important Chinese woman in history. Born in 1835, Cixi was brought in as a ...

A few hours earlier, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu rushed out of the palace. They left the city from Deshengmen and fled to Xi'an. The structure in the distance marked with an arrow is ...