When it comes to Cixi, most people in the world label her as "a person in power in the late Qing Dynasty" who "lost power and humiliated the country" and pinned her on the negative coordinates of history. However, historical figures are never black and white symbols. When we clear away the fog of power of "listening to politics behind the curtain" and jump out of the resentment of "ceding territory and paying compensation", we will find that this woman who was once called "Magnolia" has been trapped in the torrent of the collapse of the dynasty throughout her life.
She understands the power of politics and has been in charge of the late Qing Dynasty for nearly half a century as a woman, maintaining the turbulent Qing court. She also has limitations. She sticks to the old system at the juncture of the changing times, and ultimately fails to turn the tide. "The Magnolia Ci - A Brief History of Cixi" does not make emotional criticism or excessive whitewashing. It only uses historical data as a basis to unravel the intertwining of this complex figure with the fate of the late Qing Dynasty, from her growth trajectory, political choices to personal temperament.
I hope that through these words, readers can see a Cixi who transcends "facial makeup" and understand the history of struggling in sinking.
