Empress Dowager Cixi

[Foxshade]

It's called reboot. Just like Hulk, Spiderman, etc. :bsmilie:

 

[An drew]

This is the rehearsal.

 

[ricohflex]

Cixi did many things. She also bestowed the Diaoyu islands to this guy. He doesn't look like a Japanese.

The Qing dynasty lost the Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895). Japan took the islands (amongst other lands) by force.
The Cairo declaration of 1943 resets it back to original owner.

Looks like Japan plans to clash with China eventually once again and this time it is not Mukden (Marco Polo Bridge) but Diaoyutai that is the excuse.

PRC in 2014 is very weak militarily in hardware, personnel, software, tactics and doctrine. Its military is many decades behind time and needs to do catch-up real fast. 1 obsolete low tech outdated lousy aircraft carrier is not enough. PRC needs to vastly increase its military budget every year in order to protect itself from external aggression.

 

[ManWearPants]

Cixi passed away in 1908. I am sure before she died , she must have a lot of details about her life, her rule, her thoughts written in biographies. She appeared in quite a few photographs which shows that she wanted generations after generations to remember her. Unfortunately, there were wars and revolutions after her death, that made whatever is left of these literature to be interpreted to what propagandas the time called for. For now, everyone wanted to be affiliated with China. So perhaps she now appear as the wise empress dowager. In 100 years, the persona of Cixi has been changed over and over again. She is like Mona Lisa, frowning a moment and smiling the next. The real Cixi remains a mystery. Powerful as she may have been during her time. She cannot manipulate if her life stories are being passed down as legends or tales. In another 100 years time, how will the next generation judge her? Maybe they won't care anymore. Ci...who?

 

[Sion]

In another 100 years time, how will the next generation judge her? Maybe they won't care anymore. Ci...who?

Non ci resta che piangere?

Or ci intercambio?

 

[NineEleven]

Cixi did a great service to the Chinese by destroying the Manchurian dynasty from within.
The Chinese empire with its vast population of about 160 to 200 million, was conquered by only about 120,000 Manchurian soldiers (out of a population of about 250,000 Manchus) in 1644.

An amazing feat. The Manchus ruled China for 267 years till 1911.

In spite of Manchuria's smallness in terms of land size and population compared to China in 1644; Manchus managed to invade and conquer China.
This was the sterling example that the Japanese relied on when they tried to repeat the Manchurians' astonishing feat in 1937.




Shinzo Abe has the same aspirations for the distant future.

It is all about timing. Ming Dynasty was in desolate by then & dealing with an internal uprising which toppled their own Han Emperor & occupied Beijing. Wu Sangui who was sent to deal with the Manchus was then persuaded or hoodwinked to join forces with the Manchu army. After the defeat at Shanhai guan, the new rebel King, Li ZiCheng sent his forces to ransack the Chinese capital & burnt the palace before moving down south & the Manchu forces were actually welcomed by the residents who opened the gates for them....thus China was lost once again to foreigners. If I remembered right only 60,000 Manchu troops were used, could be more or less as history are often written in different light.

Whether Cixi was good or bad is laid to rest but she definitely murdered many to maintain her position & was shrewd enough to steer through many rebellions plus political upheavels.

 

[An drew]

Wu Sangui who was sent to deal with the Manchus was then persuaded or hoodwinked to join forces with the Manchu army.

Wu Sangui was a shrewd traitor. He even declared himself as emperor.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Sangui