At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Guangxu Emperor was known as a controversial and regrettable figure. The experience of his life is like a great drama of joy and sorrow, containing countless helplessness and struggle.
Emperor Guangxu, named Zaiyan, was born in 1871 and was actually the eleventh generation of kings of the Qing Dynasty. As the nephew of the Empress Dowager Cixi and the son of Prince Yixun, he was a minor emperor from an early age, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was in charge of politics, and these experiences deeply influenced his political choices in the future.
1. Early years and youth
Guangxu's childhood life was not as happy and carefree as that of other royal children. Because his father, Prince Yiyun, was well aware of the power of the imperial family, he disciplined Guangxu quite strictly, and guided him to understand the importance and ubiquity of power from an early age. Such an educational method made Guangxu appear introverted and timid in the process of growing up, and felt at a loss for the complexities of politics.
When Guangxu was ten years old, the Empress Dowager Cixi, in order to control the power more comprehensively, specially helped him choose a marriage - to marry his niece Yehenara Jingfen as the queen. For Guangxu, who was at an ignorant age at the time, this move was like smashing into the dark night of life, indicating that his life would be tightly entangled by the struggle for power.
2. The starting point of life choices
Time flies until Guangxu was sixteen years old, and the Empress Dowager Cixi decided not to hold power anymore and gave Guangxu the opportunity to be independent. But in fact, Cixi never really delegated power, and still exerted influence on the government in various ways. Almost inevitably every decision Guangxu made had to be reviewed and approved by the Empress Dowager Cixi, a move that undoubtedly brought great resistance to his reforms.
At this moment, Guangxu had become more and more aware of the crisis situation faced by the Qing Dynasty. So he hoped to save the declining empire through reforms, recruited talents, such as Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and others, and bravely launched the famous Wuxu Reform. The event was designed to draw on Western political, economic, and cultural systems to advance the country's modernization. However, because it violated the interests of the conservative forces, it triggered a strong backlash.
3. Deliberate reform measures (which should actually be regarded as the result of the acquiescence of Cixi and Guangxu or even the manipulation of Cixi)
Educational Innovation: Knowing that education was the key to the country's prosperity, the Guangxu Emperor vigorously promoted the construction of a new style of education and abolished the cruel imperial examination system. At the same time, it also gives international students the opportunity to study overseas Xi higher education, so as to shape high-end talents with a global vision.
Economic Innovation: In order to keep pace with global modernization, the Guangxu Emperor actively promoted a number of economic reforms. This includes encouraging the birth of new industries and increasing investment in infrastructure such as railways and shipping, so as to break the shackles of traditional closed-door policies. At the same time, it also tried to carry out currency reform in an effort to achieve currency unification and the prosperity of commercial trade.
Military innovation: Emperor Guangxu understood the importance of advanced weapons and equipment to national security, so he resolutely began to sinicize military affairs. Foreign military instructors will be hired to provide guidance, modern military academies and universities will be established, and various high-tech weapons will be introduced at the same time, so as to enhance national defense strength.
Political innovation: The Guangxu Emperor intended to weaken the influence of traditional clans or aristocratic forces through political innovation, and further strengthen his own voice in the political arena. For example, it envisages a constitutional monarchy and a parliament to attract more people to participate in the country's political affairs. At the same time, consideration was given to ways to improve the bureaucracy, reduce corruption and improve the efficiency of public administration.
Fourth, the road to reform is full of hardships
Emperor Guangxu's determination to look forward to reform is undoubted, but the challenges in the implementation process are undoubtedly enormous. Conservatives are powerful, and they do not approve of reform, fearing that their interests will be harmed. As a result, they used tactics to obstruct the reform process and even formed a strong opposition within the imperial court.
In addition, Emperor Guangxu also made mistakes in decision-making in the process of reform. He was too eager to achieve tangible results in the short term, which led to a lack of comprehensive consideration and rigorous planning for many measures. This, combined with his failure to assemble an effective support team, made it difficult to balance and reconcile reformers with conservatives.
Fifth, the Wuxu Reform ended in failure Guangxu was imprisoned
On September 21, 1898, the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly announced the resumption of the curtain to listen to the government, and the Guangxu Emperor was placed under house arrest in Yingtai. This event declared the failure of the Wuxu Reform and dealt a heavy blow to Guangxu's political career, and he was unable to transform from an ambitious young emperor into a prisoner of freedom and rights.
In Yingtai, Guangxu lived a life of isolation from others. Every day, I can only look up at the sky through the narrow window, listen to the palace maids and eunuchs whisper softly, and think about my personal fate and the future of the country. The mind gradually became hollow, and the physical and mental condition deteriorated.
Sixth, all kinds of rumors after Guangxu's death
On November 14, 1908, Emperor Guangxu died of illness in Yingtai at the age of 38. There have always been many theories about the specific cause of his death. Some information shows that Guangxu ingested a large amount of arsenic before his death, and it is suspected that he was poisoned to death. However, there is still no clear evidence to support this claim.
Throughout the life of Emperor Guangxu, his role and influence are diverse and far-reaching. As the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, he experienced the pain of the dynasty's decline and tried to reform to save the crisis. Although the Wuxu Reform failed, Guangxu's courageous spirit and strong determination set a model for future generations to reform.