Empress Cixi: The Origins Of The Forbidden City

It was a failure for the Qing in the long term for it aroused Western

On November 5, 1924 officials entered the palace with a revision of the “Articles of Favorable Treatment” that stated, the Emperor’s position shall be abolished making Pu yi an ordinary citizen. He was required to abandon the Forbidden City and sought asylum from the Japanese Embassy and soon was sent to Tientsin.

The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty were both some of the greatest empires in their time. The fall of the Roman Empire was followed by the fall of the Han Dynasty. Three major things that contributed to these empires falling were the economic troubles these empires were going through at the time, taxation was a huge trouble for some of these empires, trade was also a big contribution, and being economically weak had an impact as well. Political reasons were a major of why these empires fell, both these empires had problems when it came down to their rulers, both these empires also split into two at a point, as well as the gap between the rich and the poor.

The Forbidden City is the world largest surviving palace in China. It, first, built by Han dynasty. Later after collapsed of the Han dynasty, the first emperor of Ming dynasty moved the capital to Nanjing, but it then moved back to old palace in Beijing and the constructions began again in 1406 A.C. The Forbidden Palace was a Chinese imperial city during Ming and Qing dynasties. It was a home for twenty-four emperors. The palace consists of nine hundred buildings and nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine rooms. In additional, the palace was not only the center of politics, but it also the center of culture, the arts, poetry, history and science. Furthermore, Chinese people, in Ming and Qing dynasties,

Ineffective leadership and very luxurious living of the emperors and government officials also led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Officials were left in charge of the administration of the dynasty because the two emperors of the time, Tongzhi and Guangxu were still children, and this lack of imperial control gave Cixi the ability to ‘rule from behind the curtain’.

China created an empire extremely similar to the Roman empire discussed in Chapter 5. The only difference being, the Chinese empire was put together using several large armies, which forced their way into new territories. The Qin and Han rulers in China founded this empire. During 221 BCE the state of Qin helped unify China by defeating a main rival of the empire. After this, the king of Qin eventually began to rule all of China, being know as the "first emperor." To help all the states to become more unified he asked for all of the citizens to move into the capital, which created a bigger empire for him to rule. To make sure there wasn't any resistance from the citizens, he ordered officials to go out and retrieve them. Although Qin wanted

After China had been conquered by the Mongols and their population was diminished by the plague, they began to look to into their past in order to shape their future. The Chinese society allowed “two empresses [write] instructions for female behavior” (423). These behaviors included those that were held previously to the Chinese women and were seen as “traditional expectations” (423). Much of the Chinese culture was changed due to the rule of the Mongol Empire. Because of this, China attempted to put an end to any evidence of foreign rule from the Mongol Empire. This included the “[discouragement] [of] the use of Mongol names and dress” (423). This discouragement of the Mongol traditions provided China the opportunity to reintroduce the concept of Confucian learning. This is another

China had not been unified in over 300 years before Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan conquered it. With Kublai as emperor, China flourished. The military had use with the Mongols, and the craftsmen were almost worked too much, for the Mongols were fascinated by these beautiful paintings, sculptures, and trinkets. They united china under the Mongol flag and bestowed a golden age on China, promoting trade and unity.(Chapter 12)

I have been fortunate enough through my travels to have trans versed the Great Wall of China, which was constructed by Qin Shihuang in order to unify the six states, he ordered General Meng Tian to connect the existing walls and to extend them further as a front line defense against possible invasion, it was an exhilarating experience, the piece of the wall I started to ascend, it was extremely steep with four levels, the configuration of the wall was unusual, in the design of the steps, they were built in a non–uniform format. The steps ranged in various sizes, from approximately 4” to what seemed like 12”, so in turn , it made the climb very uncomfortable, it also showed me that I was defiantly out of shape, but I did eventually make it to the second level, and looking over the mountain terrain, and along the hillside where it was built, I had a rush of adrenaline and realized that the Wall of China, was every bit as exhilarating to me today, as the day it was constructed. This engineering, of the Qin dynasty was truly an amazing feat. I will examine some key elements, while comparing the Qin, and Han dynasties, to The Roman Empire. Both cultures had implemented an impressive, society by introducing engineering wonders, an extensive political system that managed vast amounts of people, and a military to rule over their territories.

The imperial palaces were built on a grand scale, sparing no expense to display the majesty and dignity of the imperial power of the time. Each successive emperor contributed grandeur to the structures, and today, these palaces stand for all to enjoy. Each imperial palace is a testament to the history and glory of Chinese culture. These glorious structures clearly demonstrate the creative essence and imperial traditions of the Chinese

The Qing dynasty (1916-1912) is the last imperial dynasty of China, it was consider as the most powerful country during the “golden age” ruled by Kang Xi and Qian Long, and it has over 400 million population and has the 1st ranked GDP in the world at the moment. The Qing has the supreme power at the time and has the significant influence in East Asian. However, the collapse of the Qing Dynasty made a humiliate history of China. The Qing dynasty doesn't fall suddenly, and the collapse of Qing is not just simply because domestic revolution and alien invasion. The failure of the Qing government is worthy to study, we need to take a deep step and explore the root cause of the collapse of Qing.

The Qin dynasty created the first unified Chinese empire. They did this by utilizing a legalistic approach to government. The Qin believed that the nature of mankind is inherently evil and only through a strict code of laws with severe punishment could the government achieve reliability and stability. Because the emperor feared the people and the inherent rights and privileges established with the teachings of Confucus, he ordered all books on Confucianism burned and beheaded everyone opposed to the government including their families. All weapons owned by private citizens were confiscated; the metal from these weapons were used to cast the gigantic metal statutes and bells that adorned the imperial

Many people argued that Empress Dowager Cixi accelerated the speed of the demise of the Qing dynasty. Cixi might be a blasting fuse but she was not accounted for the final fall of the dynasty. The actions Cixi took had profoundly changed the foundation of feudal China so as to push China forward into a modern stage. Although many historical data suggested that whatever Cixi had done were to consolidate her authority and personal status. But no matter what, the impact on the country was obvious. Cixi broke the previous traditions from Confucianism that had been lasted for centuries. Tensions between the Manchus and Han Chinese had been greatly improved, which made a great contribution to China for later unification. Under the reign of the Empress Dowager, the social structure had undergone a series of changes. Qing 's demise is doomed, this was resulted from issues that had stacked up from previous generations. Moreover, Cixi did her best to secure China’s status in the world in such a chaotic period in history. She made undeniable contributions to China.

The Forbidden City was built as an imperial palace for the emperors for the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty, from the years of 1420 to 1912. It is located in the center of Beijing, and has “The Palace Museum” inside of it. It was the home of many emperors and their families, as well as being the political and ceremonial center of the Chinese government for nearly 500 years.

Empress Dowager Longyu's contribution to the nation seems to be minimal, as she was so preoccupied with court politics that the affairs of the nation were not her priority. Living completely insulated from the world in the Forbidden City, she was unable to sense the tide of history or adjust to its changing times.