Summer Palace is one of the largest and most famous royal residences
existing in the world and, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful.
It stands today as an outstanding example of Chinese traditional
art in garden building. Located just a short ride outside of Beijing
the Summer Palace is a "must see" when you visit Beijing.
Summer Palace was constructed in 1750 for use by the emperor's temptresses
of the Qing Dynasty. The palace served as a summer villa, a garden
for relaxation, and a summer palace where the emperor held court.
The Summer Palace was destroyed when the British-French Allied Army
burned it in 1860 and it was rebuilt in 1888.
Empress Dowager Ci Xi
Xi was born Lan-Kuei, meaning Little Orchid, in 1835 during China's
Middle Kingdom. At the time women in China were rarely educated,
but Ci Xi educated herself and by age 16 she could read and write.
The daughter of a minor Mandarin of the ruling class at an inferior
level which did not give her access to the Imperial court. At 17,
in 1852, she entered the Forbidden City as "Honorable Person
Lan," concubine of the 5th rank. She was promoted to "Royal
Concubine Yi" and after giving birth to a son, she became "Imperial
Emperor died in 1861 leaving his son, only 5 years old, as heir
to his throne. Ci Xi, his mother, was elevated to "Holy Mother
Empress Dowager" and as his guardian she became Regent. Soon
after she staged a coup d'etat and seized political power. While
she was somewhat educated she was ignorant of the world at large
and resisted all attempts to modernize China. Her 50-year reign
was founded on the principles of Confucian teachings. She was the
effective ruler of China during the reign of two emperors, her son
and her nephew, both boys who ascended the throne.
the occassion of her 60th birthday in 1895 the Empress Dowager Ci
Xi renovated the Summer Palace. To finance this massive undertaking
she used funds slated for the Imperial Navy to the dismay of many.
Empress Dowager Ci Xi died in 1909 at age 74. Aisin-Gioro-Pu Yi
became emperor and served until 1911 when he abdicated after the
forming of the Chinese Republic.