"Empress Dowager Cixi is a fascinating figure because she represents a contradiction — she wielded immense power in a world ...

Specifically, it likely came from the Summer Palace occupied by Emperor Xianfeng. Going for a Song, the show that initially undervalued the vase, was known for featuring antique items brought in ...

She quickly became a favourite and, after giving birth to Emperor Xianfeng's only son, was made Noble Consort Yi, second only to the empress. Unusually, she could read and write Chinese and ...

Entombed here are the two wives of Emperor Xianfeng: the Eastern Empress Dowager Ci' an and the notorious Western Empress Dowager Cixi. The tombs were constructed simultaneously and in the same style.