How did Cixi respond to the New Deal at the end of the Qing Dynasty?

Cixi (November 29, 1835 - November 15, 1908), or Empress Xiaoqin Xian, Yehenara, was a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng and the birth mother of Emperor Tongzhi. She was an important political figure in the late Qing Dynasty and the de facto ruler of the late Qing Dynasty.

Whether Cixi was conservative or enlightened has always been a subject of considerable controversy in the academic world. In fact, a person's thinking is both related to her upbringing and knowledge accumulation, and changes with the times. Any conclusion with absolutes would be biased!

Cixi was born in a society where feudalism was prevalent, and was educated in feudal ethics and morality from a young age. After entering the palace, she was subjected to even broader norms of feudal ethics and morality, and the constraints were even more severe. Undoubtedly, Cixi's political attitude is bound to be y influenced by the concept of feudal morality and ethics. Cixi was elected to the palace in 1952, when she was only 17 years old. From then on, it was difficult for her to get in touch with the changing reality, "she did not go out of the capital, she was ignorant of the living habits of the Chinese people, and judged what was happening in the country only by the ...... reports and folders submitted by the ministers of the capital and the provinces."

So it is only natural that Cixi has a conservative side in her political attitude. The wuxu year Guangxu emperor asked for a change of law, Cixi license premise is "not contrary to the ancestral system", "if the division of the Japanese people's change of clothes and crowns, easy to the correct, is an offense to the ancestors, not feasible".

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Cixi's New Deal period, the establishment of women's education, the use of Western education is still not convinced. 1908 November Fu Zengxiang had set up a women's teacher training college, to Cixi, "the Empress Dowager asked: you have run a women's college, how? I heard the results are quite good! Right: in Tianjin founded three women's schools, and run eight women's elementary school, ...... the results are quite good. The Empress Dowager said: the most important rules for female students, in the future, when the more vigorous, to be neat and serious. And asked: how are the subjects of the school? Right: ....... The Empress Dowager said: subjects since the Chinese learning is important, its foreign language and arithmetic, etc. but a little to seek new knowledge, and did not try to have a great use."

This shows that Cixi's attitude towards Western learning is still some reservations. People also recorded: "Recently, Cixi did not take the school textbooks as natural, called the Beijing police officers, all inquiries about the school, and even beat the case and said: 'the book is the fundamental man, how can be abandoned? Another cloud: 'private school must be more official for the better'".

And: "If anyone wants to change the traditional Chinese customs and habits, then Cixi will never allow it".

There are many examples of Cixi's conservative character in the book Two Years of the Qing Palace Ban. Such as Cixi in 1903, that is, two years after the organization of the New Deal still think: "to the Western political affairs, there are also envied by me, such as its naval and land forces and machinery and so on. But in terms of its culture, I must say that China is really the first choice." And said:

"Chinese etiquette and customs, known as civilization, now less than the generation, not wise." Western manners and customs are not as good as China's: "His Westerners, according to their customs, certainly amiable and respectful. But its etiquette, can not be compared with our way. Yu and for the preservation of the words can also. Cover the Chinese customs, I y good, my life, quite do not want it or change."

On the other hand, Cixi's character is not lacking in enlightened performance. The foreign affairs movement, Cixi to give great support to the foreign affairs faction, agree with the foreign affairs of the foreign affairs advocates, reuse the foreign affairs faction of innovation activities, and even some scholars pointed out that "Cixi is actually the conductor and decision-maker of the foreign affairs movement".

The beginning of the Hundred Days Reform, Cixi also acquiesced in Guangxu's reform activities. After the Gengzi change, Cixi in all aspects of its enlightened side: Cixi willing to accept Western things (which will be mentioned below), let the female officer De Ling for their own translation of Western newspapers, the construction of the palace to participate in the Western system, the hall of the furnishings are also "all with the Western style" and so on. Of course, the start of the New Deal and the transition to constitutional politics, but also its enlightened significant performance.

One of the reasons for Cixi's enlightenment throughout her life was that she received a limited traditional education, which brought her limitations in knowledge, but also brought the benefits of flexibility and adaptability, and acted in a less conformist manner. She did not receive an education that provided her with an unbreakable code and strong beliefs. Tradition, although it influenced her quite a bit, did not form a set of ideas in Cixi's consciousness. Cixi's adherence to tradition was the result of "obedience".

Tradition did not form a kind of self-awareness in Cixi's consciousness. Therefore, Cixi did a lot of things against the tradition, she did not like the hardliners, firmly rejected the foreign affairs movement and other new things, but has a certain degree of flexibility, as the researcher said, "as a fairly shrewd ruler, the Empress Dowager has a more agile response to things, by experience, feelings, or even theoretical doctrines at the disposal of her ability to adjust the ruling policy to a certain extent in response to the different situations. to adjust ruling policies to a certain extent."

Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that Cixi was constrained by the environment, traditional concepts and the limitations of her vision, her conservative side is more prominent; but she had considerable flexibility in specific decisions, showing an enlightened side. This political attitude of Cixi influenced her response to the great changes in the late Qing Dynasty and had a significant impact on the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty and modern China.

Dowager Empress Dowager Cixi's political maneuvering was a skillful one, especially good at manipulating the balance of power between her relatives and courtiers to maintain her absolute authority, and the Qing Dynasty was renewed for several decades because of her ability to do so. Her means of reform were in fact very clever. After a disaster in the year of Gengzi, Empress Dowager Cixi realized that the situation was not allowed to adhere to the imperial tradition, the so-called "ancestral law", is to allow the Qing court to promote a variety of new political measures. It can be said that she was conservative, but in the actual policy and more enlightened.

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