Power and Inheritance: The Choice of Empress Dowager Cixi and the Ascension of Pu Yi
2024-04-25 15:07:15 中文版

In the late Qing Dynasty, power struggle and imperial throne succession were always the core of court politics. As the actual controller, Empress Dowager Cixi's decision in choosing the emperor not only affected the fate of the Qing Dynasty, but also changed the course of Chinese history. However, the story behind why Puyi ultimately became the emperor was full of complexity and drama.

During Empress Dowager Cixi's reign, she ensured her own power status through a series of political means. Under her control, the succession of the throne did not always follow the traditional order of bloodlines, but was more influenced by political considerations. When choosing an emperor, Cixi had to consider not only the candidate's personal abilities, but also their political influence and support base.

When Emperor Guangxu was seriously ill, Cixi faced the situation of choosing an emperor again. Among the candidates at that time were Guangxu's younger brother Zai Feng and others. However, due to various reasons, including political situation, personal relationships, and predictions about the future situation, Cixi ultimately chose the young Puyi as the successor.

The choice of the young Puyi was made on the one hand because he belonged to the direct lineage of the royal family, conforming to traditional inheritance rules; on the other hand, because a young emperor was easier to control, and Cixi could continue to maintain her power status through this. However, this choice did not bring stability to the Qing Dynasty, but accelerated its decline.

Puyi's ascension to the throne took place against the backdrop of unrest in the late Qing Dynasty. His youth and lack of experience, coupled with the emergence of a power vacuum after the death of Empress Dowager Cixi, led to increasingly fierce struggles within and outside the court. During Puyi's reign, the Qing Dynasty attempted to carry out new political reforms, but most of them failed to be successfully implemented due to various constraints and obstacles.

In the end, with the outbreak of the 1911 Revolution, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown, and Puyi became the last emperor in Chinese history. His fate was both a personal tragedy and a microcosm of the end of the entire feudal dynasty system.

When looking back at Empress Dowager Cixi's choices and Puyi's ascension to the throne, we not only see the influence of personal power desires, but also witness the irreversibility of historical trends. This period of history tells us that even the most solid power cannot withstand the changes of the times and social progress.

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