Emperor Guangxu

This is a historical novel focusing on the tragic emperor Guangxu of the late Qing Dynasty. It uses delicate writing to outline the legendary life of Aisin Gioro Zaitian from an ignorant child who entered the palace, to a monarch striving for innovation, to a prisoner trapped in Yingtai, and finally ended with his ambition unfulfilled. At the end of the late Qing Dynasty, the mountains and rivers were broken and precarious. Since Guangxu ascended the throne at the age of six, he has been deeply under the control of Cixi's power. During his long puppet career, he always harbored the dream of strengthening the country. After taking office, he pushed against all the opposition and carried out the Reform Movement of 1898 in an attempt to save the declining Qing Dynasty through reforms. However, he failed miserably due to the counterattack of the conservative forces and became a prisoner of Yingtai. For more than ten years since then, he has adhered to his original intention in loneliness and depression, paying attention to the changes in the current situation, witnessing the humiliation of the Russo-Japanese War, the ups and downs of the New Deal, and the glimmer of constitutional government. Even though his body was declining, he still did not give up his concern for the future of the country. The novel not only restores the power game between Guangxu and Cixi, his affectionate bond with Concubine Zhen, and his ideal resonance with the reformers, but also deeply depicts his struggle and helplessness in the torrent of history. From the turmoil of the Hundred Days Storm to the loneliness of Yingtai prisoner's dream, from the perseverance of the setting sun to the final tragic ending. This is not a simple biography of an emperor, but also a portrait of all living beings in late Qing society. It explores the collision between power and ideals, the contradiction between reform and reality, and shows an emperor's difficult pursuit within the limitations of the times. Guangxu's life was a personal tragedy and the epitome of a dynasty. His unfinished reform ideals will eventually become the glimmer of light that illuminates the road to salvation and survival in modern China, triggering endless emotions and thoughts from future generations.