Empress dowager cixi

[xlwoo]

Governor Ding of Sichuan Province had a reputation of being never corrupt. He never accepted any gifts or money except his salary, which was eleven thousand taels of silver annually, less than one thousand taels a month. All the governors and mayors and other chief officials employed their private advisers to help with their handling of all the affairs. They paid them out of their own pockets. So less than one thousand taels monthly was really not sufficient for a governor. He had to throw some old clothes into a trunk and seal it with the mark of the governor. The trunk went to a pawnshop for two hundred taels of silver. Regularly the owner or the manager would look at the things to see if they were worth the amount of money the pawnee asked. The pawner and pawnee could bargain for how much each of them would be willing to give and take. But the trunk was sealed and the owner could not check to evaluate. Anyway, he must trust the governor. When the trunk came to the pawnshop toward the end of every month, the money was always repaid at the beginning of every month and the trunk would be taken back. Year in and year out, the monthly recycle went on as a routine until the governor was promoted to some other place.
Once Governor Ding went back to his home land on a visit. When he traveled through another province, the governor of that province gave him three thousand taels in silver note, saying that if he didn't deign to take it, it meant an affront to the governor of that province. Governor Ding had to accept it. But on his journey back he went through that province again and returned the three thousand taels to the governor of that province.
It was not easy to be a good governor or a good mayor or whatever. If his policy was beneficial to the common people, it would certainly be unfavorable to rich citizens. While he was welcomed by most people, he offended the local landlords and wealthy merchants. They wrote something about him, called “Your Heaven and Earth.” It went like that “The name of Your Excellency shocks Heaven and Earth. The arrival of Your Excellency gladdens Heaven and Earth. The policy of Your Excellency darkens Heaven and Earth. At the departure of Your Excellency we thank Heaven and Earth.”

[xlwoo]

Governor Ding of Sichuan Province had a reputation of being never corrupt. He never accepted any gifts or money except his salary, which was eleven thousand taels of silver annually, less than one thousand taels a month. All the governors and mayors and other chief officials employed their private advisers to help with their handling of all the affairs. They paid them out of their own pockets. So less than one thousand taels monthly was really not sufficient for a governor. He had to throw some old clothes into a trunk and seal it with the mark of the governor. The trunk went to a pawnshop for two hundred taels of silver. Regularly the owner or the manager would look at the things to see if they were worth the amount of money the pawnee asked. The pawner and pawnee could bargain for how much each of them would be willing to give and take. But the trunk was sealed and the owner could not check to evaluate. Anyway, he must trust the governor. When the trunk came to the pawnshop toward the end of every month, the money was always repaid at the beginning of every month and the trunk would be taken back. Year in and year out, the monthly recycle went on as a routine until the governor was promoted to some other place.
Once Governor Ding went back to his home land on a visit. When he traveled through another province, the governor of that province gave him three thousand taels in silver note, saying that if he didn't deign to take it, it meant an affront to the governor of that province. Governor Ding had to accept it. But on his journey back he went through that province again and returned the three thousand taels to the governor of that province.
It was not easy to be a good governor or a good mayor or whatever. If his policy was beneficial to the common people, it would certainly be unfavorable to rich citizens. While he was welcomed by most people, he offended the local landlords and wealthy merchants. They wrote something about him, called “Your Heaven and Earth.” It went like that “The name of Your Excellency shocks Heaven and Earth. The arrival of Your Excellency gladdens Heaven and Earth. The policy of Your Excellency darkens Heaven and Earth. At the departure of Your Excellency we thank Heaven and Earth.”

[xlwoo]

Chapter 37

France and China were then at war about the Vietnam issue. Vietnam was always under China's protection. In the summer of 1862, Vietnam was forced to sign a treaty with France that Vietnam was under French protection. During next five years the French navy landed on the south of Vietnam and gradually occupied the southern part. In 1873, France invaded the northern part. The Vietnamese government sent General Liu to resist the French army. General Liu was a Chinese and had joined the Peaceful Army. After the Peaceful Army had failed, he had escaped into Vietnam. He brought his troops there, which were called Back Banner Army because the banners he used were black. The Black Banner Army went to fight the French army and killed its general. So next year France and Vietnam signed a new treaty in Saigon. Qing government kept neutral at that time because they were busy dealing with Japan about the Taiwan issue.
When France encroached on the north of Vietnam again, China was duly involved. Many courtiers favored to wage war against France in Vietnam. Prince Yihuan leaned to that opinion, but Prince Yixin had his own view that China could not cope with France in Vietnam and it was better to have a peace talk. Since the opinions were not unanimous, the policy could not be decisive as to whether to declare war or to have a peace talk. When West Empress Dowager finally made the decision to prepare for war while seeking a peace talk, the chance for some military actions were missed. A great number of French army already set foot on Vietnam and began to attach the Black Banner Army. If Qing government could have sent its army into Vietnam to reinforce the Black Banner Army and occupied all the strategically important places before the French army had done, the final victory might have belonged to China.

[xlwoo]

Chapter 37

France and China were then at war about the Vietnam issue. Vietnam was always under China's protection. In the summer of 1862, Vietnam was forced to sign a treaty with France that Vietnam was under French protection. During next five years the French navy landed on the south of Vietnam and gradually occupied the southern part. In 1873, France invaded the northern part. The Vietnamese government sent General Liu to resist the French army. General Liu was a Chinese and had joined the Peaceful Army. After the Peaceful Army had failed, he had escaped into Vietnam. He brought his troops there, which were called Back Banner Army because the banners he used were black. The Black Banner Army went to fight the French army and killed its general. So next year France and Vietnam signed a new treaty in Saigon. Qing government kept neutral at that time because they were busy dealing with Japan about the Taiwan issue.
When France encroached on the north of Vietnam again, China was duly involved. Many courtiers favored to wage war against France in Vietnam. Prince Yihuan leaned to that opinion, but Prince Yixin had his own view that China could not cope with France in Vietnam and it was better to have a peace talk. Since the opinions were not unanimous, the policy could not be decisive as to whether to declare war or to have a peace talk. When West Empress Dowager finally made the decision to prepare for war while seeking a peace talk, the chance for some military actions were missed. A great number of French army already set foot on Vietnam and began to attach the Black Banner Army. If Qing government could have sent its army into Vietnam to reinforce the Black Banner Army and occupied all the strategically important places before the French army had done, the final victory might have belonged to China.

[xlwoo]

Qing government promised to provide the Black Banner Army with ammunition and provisions through Guangxi Province, but the governor of Guangxi Province gave the black Banner Army only a little of the promised stuffs. How could they resist the attack of the French army? The Black Banner Army was beaten this time. Then Qing government did launch some detachments into Vietnam for reinforcement, but among those detachments, they could not strategically support each other when required by the situation. The result was that they were also overpowered by the French army. News about the loss of some occupied towns in Vietnam came to the capital, the courtiers made angry comments and one of the critique official wrote a report that the secretaries should be blamed. So West Empress Dowager blamed Yixin for it and removed him from all his offices. She then changed all members of the Secretarial Bureau and put Yihuan, her brother-in-law and the biological father of the present emperor, in charge. But Yihuan was not a bit as talented as Yixin. Therefore, things didn't get any better, even though the Qing government army and the Black Banner Army did win some battles later in Vietnam.
Some French warships came to cruise near the coast of Fujian Province with the intention to land there. Someone suggested that the Chinese southern sea navy could take the initiative to sink the French warships, but those who wanted a peace talk, including Governor Li of Zhidi Province, opposed to it. They held the opinion that China should not initiate the war. Then the French warships began to attack the small Chinese navy and sank four Chinese warships. West Empress Dowager was really enraged and declared war against France. Since China could not fight France on the sea, the strategy was to let the French soldiers come on the land and to ambush them. But French soldiers didn't come on the shore.
The French navy went to attack Taiwan. China didn't have any warships at Taiwan. The general who guarded Taiwan sank some boats to block the entry into the Fresh-Water Harbor. The one thousand French soldiers landed on Taiwan and had a fight with the Chinese soldiers, who outnumbered them. The French soldiers were driven back onto the sea, to their warships. So China won battles on land and France on the sea. However, no war can go on forever. It must end one way or the other, either in entire conquest or in a truce. A treaty was signed between Qing government and France.

[xlwoo]

Qing government promised to provide the Black Banner Army with ammunition and provisions through Guangxi Province, but the governor of Guangxi Province gave the black Banner Army only a little of the promised stuffs. How could they resist the attack of the French army? The Black Banner Army was beaten this time. Then Qing government did launch some detachments into Vietnam for reinforcement, but among those detachments, they could not strategically support each other when required by the situation. The result was that they were also overpowered by the French army. News about the loss of some occupied towns in Vietnam came to the capital, the courtiers made angry comments and one of the critique official wrote a report that the secretaries should be blamed. So West Empress Dowager blamed Yixin for it and removed him from all his offices. She then changed all members of the Secretarial Bureau and put Yihuan, her brother-in-law and the biological father of the present emperor, in charge. But Yihuan was not a bit as talented as Yixin. Therefore, things didn't get any better, even though the Qing government army and the Black Banner Army did win some battles later in Vietnam.
Some French warships came to cruise near the coast of Fujian Province with the intention to land there. Someone suggested that the Chinese southern sea navy could take the initiative to sink the French warships, but those who wanted a peace talk, including Governor Li of Zhidi Province, opposed to it. They held the opinion that China should not initiate the war. Then the French warships began to attack the small Chinese navy and sank four Chinese warships. West Empress Dowager was really enraged and declared war against France. Since China could not fight France on the sea, the strategy was to let the French soldiers come on the land and to ambush them. But French soldiers didn't come on the shore.
The French navy went to attack Taiwan. China didn't have any warships at Taiwan. The general who guarded Taiwan sank some boats to block the entry into the Fresh-Water Harbor. The one thousand French soldiers landed on Taiwan and had a fight with the Chinese soldiers, who outnumbered them. The French soldiers were driven back onto the sea, to their warships. So China won battles on land and France on the sea. However, no war can go on forever. It must end one way or the other, either in entire conquest or in a truce. A treaty was signed between Qing government and France.

[xlwoo]

After Sushun had been executed, Yihuan had been appointed as the head of the royal bodyguards, the special division, with Ronglu as his assistant. Yihuan had all the ambition, but lacked the abilities. When Yixin had been in charge, Yihuan had envied him. Now as Yihuan took over the charge of the state affairs, Yixin said to a friend, “There is a Chinese saying. It goes like that: when you see someone shouldering a burden, you don't know how heavy it is.” After only a few months, Yihuan came to feel the heavy burden on his shoulders, but none he could shift it to.
One day Yihuan went to see Yixin and said, “I really envy you of your leisure, no responsibilities.”
“How can that be?” Yixin smiled at him.
“Could you help me?” Yihuan really needed someone who could share his burden. But what could Yixin say? He had been forced to retire when the empire needed him. So he just sighed. Yihuan knew that it depended on West Empress Dowager, not on Yixin himself. So later, at an earliest chance, he hinted to West Empress Dowager that she should let Yixin resume some of the responsibilities, but West Empress Dowager was adamant about her earlier decision, because many things she wanted to do and Yixin would say NO.
West Empress Dowager could never forget that when she had wanted to rebuild the Round-Bright Garden, many courtiers, headed by Yixin, strongly opposed to it. Her plan had failed. Now Yixin was out of the way and so were many of his supporters. If she wanted to rebuild the garden now, no one would say NO to her. But where was the money for it? The cost was too much, she knew it herself. Finally she decided to repair the buildings at the Three Lakes and made it a royal garden. She named it the Garden of Good health & Harmony. But there was still the question: where was the money?

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Someone suggested to her head eunuch Li that they could use part of the money that was supposed to build a strong navy. After the Sino-French war, which was resulted in a treaty that Vietnam became under the French protection after a lot of bargaining, West Empress Dowager and the Secretarial Bureau had had a meeting and had decided to build a strong navy. The money needed came from customs duties and salt tax collections, and also from the contributions of all the provinces. West Empress Dowager thought that since the war already ended there was no urgency to build a strong navy immediately. That was why the small Chinese fleet was defeated on the sea by Japan in 1894.
West Empress Dowager ordered to set up the Navy Yamen and made Yihuan the head of it. All the expenses in the construction of the garden came from the Navy Yamen and Yihuan could never say NO. Why didn't West Empress Dowager order the Internal Revenue Ministry pay the expenses? That ministry should be a reasonable place to pay for the expenditure. It was because Minister Yan would refuse to pay unless he was removed. And West Empress Dowager didn't want to remove him for no reason at all, or for that reason. She still wanted to keep a good image in the eye of people. So the repair work was under way secretly.
Her head eunuch Li thought of another way to get fund for the building. The emperor would soon reach the age to get married. They needed to prepare for the wedding. So West Empress Dowager ordered the Internal Revenue Ministry to collect money for that purpose. Though it was a bit early, Minister Yan could not refuse that. And West Empress Dowager transferred the money to the reconstruction.

[xlwoo]

Someone suggested to her head eunuch Li that they could use part of the money that was supposed to build a strong navy. After the Sino-French war, which was resulted in a treaty that Vietnam became under the French protection after a lot of bargaining, West Empress Dowager and the Secretarial Bureau had had a meeting and had decided to build a strong navy. The money needed came from customs duties and salt tax collections, and also from the contributions of all the provinces. West Empress Dowager thought that since the war already ended there was no urgency to build a strong navy immediately. That was why the small Chinese fleet was defeated on the sea by Japan in 1894.
West Empress Dowager ordered to set up the Navy Yamen and made Yihuan the head of it. All the expenses in the construction of the garden came from the Navy Yamen and Yihuan could never say NO. Why didn't West Empress Dowager order the Internal Revenue Ministry pay the expenses? That ministry should be a reasonable place to pay for the expenditure. It was because Minister Yan would refuse to pay unless he was removed. And West Empress Dowager didn't want to remove him for no reason at all, or for that reason. She still wanted to keep a good image in the eye of people. So the repair work was under way secretly.
Her head eunuch Li thought of another way to get fund for the building. The emperor would soon reach the age to get married. They needed to prepare for the wedding. So West Empress Dowager ordered the Internal Revenue Ministry to collect money for that purpose. Though it was a bit early, Minister Yan could not refuse that. And West Empress Dowager transferred the money to the reconstruction.

[xlwoo]

The Royal Family Affairs Management was put in charge of the reconstruction. They were also building a stage right close to where West Empress Dowager lived. It was supposed to finish before her birthday. Three days before her birthday, West Empress Dowager thought that the stage should have been completed by then. So she went there to have a look, but it was not completely done yet. Some officials in charge of the job pleaded that they would accomplish it before her birthday. But West Empress Dowager was petulant and fined them each for three thousand taels of silver. The silver taels should be handed in before a certain date. When an official did not possess such an amount of taels, West Empress Dowager sent a eunuch to scold him. It was a custom in Qing Dynasty. If a courtier did something wrong, or really did something not to the liking of the emperor, the emperor would send a eunuch to his residence to scold him. The courtier must prostrate before the eunuch listening to whatever he would say. The eunuch went there to represent the emperor; so the courtier should receive the eunuch on his knees. At first the eunuch just pointed out what mistakes the courtier had made and expressed in the name of the emperor that the courtier should not make the same mistakes again. But eunuchs were often abnormal due to their lack of hormone. Therefore the reproach developed into calling of names, even foul names. It was deemed an insult to courtiers because eunuchs were not thought as complete human beings, that is, human beings lacking something very important. If a courtier didn't want to hear the name calling, he should bribe the eunuch. It also depended on the mood of the eunuch. If the eunuch just got reprimanded he would take out on the courtier whom the emperor sent the eunuch to chide. That day, the eunuch was not in a happy state of mind and the courtier had no money to bribe him. He called the courtier all kinds of dirty names he could think of. The courtier blushed and tears trickled down his cheeks. At the end of the rebuking rite the courtier mush thank West Empress Dowager for sending the eunuch to scold him.

[xlwoo]

The Garden of Good Health & Harmony (also called Summer Palace though it is not the Summer Palace in Rehe. Any place where the emperor went like on a vacation in the summer could be called the Summer Palace.) is the best-kept existing royal garden in the present capital now. It has a concentration of the best ancient buildings as well as styles of gardening. The total area is two hundred and ninety hectares.
The Garden of Good Health & Harmony was first named the Garden of Clear Ripples, which was burnt down by allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started twenty-five years later and was completed in 1895, and the name was changed to the Garden of Good Health & Harmony. The design gives prominence to the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. Many spots of scenery were built in imitation of those on the West Lake in Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province. It is really a miniature West Lake.
Eastern Palace Gate is the main entrance to the Garden of Good Health & Harmony. The opening in the center was for the emperor and empress exclusively. The two side openings were for the use of princes and courtiers. Eunuchs and soldiers used side gates to the south and north. The name plaque “The Garden of Good Health & Harmony” in Chinese characters in front of the gate was written by Emperor Guangxu. The stone slab in front of the gate bears a carving in relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, a symbol of imperial authority.
Benevolence & Longevity Hall was originally named the Diligent in Administration Hall. The present name came into being during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. It was used by West Empress Dowager and Emperor Guangxu to receive courtiers.

[xlwoo]

The Garden of Good Health & Harmony (also called Summer Palace though it is not the Summer Palace in Rehe. Any place where the emperor went like on a vacation in the summer could be called the Summer Palace.) is the best-kept existing royal garden in the present capital now. It has a concentration of the best ancient buildings as well as styles of gardening. The total area is two hundred and ninety hectares.
The Garden of Good Health & Harmony was first named the Garden of Clear Ripples, which was burnt down by allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started twenty-five years later and was completed in 1895, and the name was changed to the Garden of Good Health & Harmony. The design gives prominence to the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. Many spots of scenery were built in imitation of those on the West Lake in Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province. It is really a miniature West Lake.
Eastern Palace Gate is the main entrance to the Garden of Good Health & Harmony. The opening in the center was for the emperor and empress exclusively. The two side openings were for the use of princes and courtiers. Eunuchs and soldiers used side gates to the south and north. The name plaque “The Garden of Good Health & Harmony” in Chinese characters in front of the gate was written by Emperor Guangxu. The stone slab in front of the gate bears a carving in relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, a symbol of imperial authority.
Benevolence & Longevity Hall was originally named the Diligent in Administration Hall. The present name came into being during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. It was used by West Empress Dowager and Emperor Guangxu to receive courtiers.

[xlwoo]

The corridor runs seven hundred and twenty-eight meters long, from a moon gate in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the west. All the two hundred and seventy-three sections are decorated with more than eight thousand paintings of landscapes, flowers and human figures. It is the longest and most famous corridor in the world.
Dispersing Clouds Hall is one of the main buildings on the Longevity Hill. It was specially built for West Empress Dowager to receive her birthday greetings. Corridors link the main hall to side houses on both sides. Pillars in crimson color and the roof with golden glazed tiles dazzle brightly in sunshine.
Buddha Fragrance Pavilion stands on a stone terrace of twenty-one meters high on the sheer front side of the Longevity Hill. It overlooks the Kunming Lake in front and Zhihuihai Buddha Hall in the back. Other buildings stretch on either side of it in a neat symmetrical pattern.
The Marble Boat was made with huge stone blocks in 1755. The immovable boat of thirty-six meters long has two tiers. It was placed in the Kunming Lake to symbolize the steadfast rule of the Qing Dynasty. If looking south from the Longevity Hill, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the Nanhu Island seem floating on the Kunming Lake and the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, looking like a rainbow, is eight meters wide and one hundred and fifty meters long and links the East Causeway with the Nanhu Island on the Kunming Lake.
There was a phony business street, called Suzhou Street, laid out along the Rear Lake in The Garden of Good Health & Harmony in the style of a market place along a river in South China. Whenever West Empress Dowager and the emperor went there, the eunuchs and palace maids would amuse them by acting like shop assistants, hawkers or customers. West Empress Dowager was delighted and enjoyed the place very much.

[xlwoo]

The corridor runs seven hundred and twenty-eight meters long, from a moon gate in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the west. All the two hundred and seventy-three sections are decorated with more than eight thousand paintings of landscapes, flowers and human figures. It is the longest and most famous corridor in the world.
Dispersing Clouds Hall is one of the main buildings on the Longevity Hill. It was specially built for West Empress Dowager to receive her birthday greetings. Corridors link the main hall to side houses on both sides. Pillars in crimson color and the roof with golden glazed tiles dazzle brightly in sunshine.
Buddha Fragrance Pavilion stands on a stone terrace of twenty-one meters high on the sheer front side of the Longevity Hill. It overlooks the Kunming Lake in front and Zhihuihai Buddha Hall in the back. Other buildings stretch on either side of it in a neat symmetrical pattern.
The Marble Boat was made with huge stone blocks in 1755. The immovable boat of thirty-six meters long has two tiers. It was placed in the Kunming Lake to symbolize the steadfast rule of the Qing Dynasty. If looking south from the Longevity Hill, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the Nanhu Island seem floating on the Kunming Lake and the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, looking like a rainbow, is eight meters wide and one hundred and fifty meters long and links the East Causeway with the Nanhu Island on the Kunming Lake.
There was a phony business street, called Suzhou Street, laid out along the Rear Lake in The Garden of Good Health & Harmony in the style of a market place along a river in South China. Whenever West Empress Dowager and the emperor went there, the eunuchs and palace maids would amuse them by acting like shop assistants, hawkers or customers. West Empress Dowager was delighted and enjoyed the place very much.

[xlwoo]

Governor Li of Zhidi Province had a maxim that Learn from foreigners to conquer foreigners West Empress Dowager liked his maxim. Once he suggested that Qing government should print and issue banknotes. The advantage was, as he reasoned, that one tael of silver could be used as two taels. It sounded just wonderful, but how could that be? For example, he said, if there were five million taels of silver in circulation, and based on that, the government could release banknotes worth five million taels. So the five million taels of banknotes, plus five million taels of silver already in circulation, made ten million taels. The currency was doubled. The property of the government was doubled, too, in their opinion. It was better than to borrow money. When one borrows money one must pay the interest. The suggestion came into the hands of Prince Yihuan, who supported the idea fervently. For that purpose, they must open banks first. For fear that people wouldn't like a foreign name, they called banks as silver shops. No argument here so far. Considering that West Empress Dowager would look upon the silver shops as her personal safes, Governor Li insisted that the general manager to run those silver shops must be a foreigner, because he thought that a foreign manager could resist any unreasonable demand from West Empress Dowager. But the internal revenue minister of the Mandarin Clan, who was the father-in-law of the late Emperor Tongzhi, was against the idea to use a foreigner as the general manager. He argued that a foreign manager would take all the silver in the silver shops to his own country. It would be like to hire a thief to guard the treasury house or put a wolf on the task to look after the sheep. He went to see Prince Yihuan, voicing his opposition and threatening with his resignation from the post. Prince Yihuan had to solace him. As a result, the plan aborted.