Qian

The early years

The future empress was born on August 12, 1837 in Beijing and came from a Manchu aristocratic family. The girl's parents were Nyuguru Miyanga, viceroy in Guangxi province and his concubine, whose name is unknown. Very little is known about her young years, probably she received the minimum knowledge necessary for a representative of the nobility. In 1850, her elder sister, Sakda, became the wife of the emperor, and she herself became the Imperial Concubine of the 4th rank. Soon Sakda passed away, and on July 24, 1852, the girl was elected the new empress, receiving the name Tsyan, which means "Gracious and the One that sends peace."

Empress

Having received the title of Empress, Qian became the most respected woman in the imperial harem, leading him. The spouses had a loving relationship. The Empress’s kindness and selflessness allowed her to gain respect not only in the harem, but also among the nobility. Soon the empress made friends with a 3rd-rank concubine, whose name was Cixi . According to some sources, she saved the life of the empress by recognizing poison in her glass. Qian could not have children, which jeopardized the continuation of the imperial dynasty. When the emperor decided that he needed an heir, he invited the empress to choose a concubine for this, and Tsian chose Cixi, who became the Precious Concubines.

In 1856, Cixi gave birth to a boy named Zaichun . Many historians believe that in fact the child was born of a young maid Chuin, who was killed immediately after birth. The status of the mother of the heir to the throne strengthened the influence of Cixi at court. Immediately after birth, the Empress took the child from Cixi and began to raise him on her own. However, the position of Cixi became stronger and soon she completely took possession of the emperor’s heart, after which she began to actively intervene in the political life of the empire. Tsian was alarmed by the way Cixi deftly and ruthlessly got rid of other emperor's concubines, seeing this as a threat to her life. This behavior made Cixi the main foe of Qian. The empress tried to expose Cixi, informing the emperor of her false pregnancy, which, however, she failed. Subsequently, Qian was still able to maintain her influence on the emperor and state affairs.

Regency

On August 22, 1861, Emperor Xianfeng died. From the very beginning, Qian was faced with an attempt by influential dignitaries Su Shun, Zai Yuan and Duanhua to take power instead of Tianzhi's young son, Xianfeng. These dignitaries planned to send Qian and other wives of the deceased emperor to the monastery. Therefore, Qian has entered into an alliance with the influential concubine Cixi. They were joined by the Xianfeng brothers - the princes Gun and Chun. Thanks to this, the conspiracy of Su Shun and his associates was prevented; the latter were executed. Qian received the title of Dowager Empress of the Eastern Palace, Cixi - Dowager Empress of the Western Palace. They both became regents of the empire. Moreover, the status of Qian was higher; she was also directly involved in the upbringing of the young emperor Tongzhi.

Political power equally belonged to both women, however, Qian, who did not seek to gain influence, transferred all power to Cixi.

The cunning, arrogance and desire of Cixi for sole power, negatively affected her relationship with Qian. Then Tsyan entered into a conspiracy with Prince Gun, to work together with him to counteract the intrigues of Cixi, whose positions were becoming stronger. Their most significant action was the organization of the execution of the influential eunuch and favorite Cixi - An Dehai . It was Qian who gave written consent to the execution of Anya. The act of the Empress made a final discord in the relations of women.

In 1872, Qian and Cixi participated in the selection of a wife for the emperor Tongzhi.

On April 27, 1873, Emperor Tongzhi came of age, which meant the end of the regency of Qian and Cixi. However, Qian retained her influence on the emperor, given that he listened more to her than to his mother.

In January 1874, Tongzhi became seriously ill. The regency of Qian and Cixi has been restored. On January 12, 1875, Emperor Tongzhi died of smallpox. In his death, rumor accused Cixi. The new emperor identified the nephew of Cixi - Guangxu. From this moment, the influence of Qian gradually decreased, power began to pass to Cixi.

In 1877, Cixi fell ill, Qian immediately took advantage of this, concentrating the supreme power in his hands. In 1877-1879, she single-handedly ruled the whole empire. One of the most important issues that Qian managed to solve was the issue of the Ili Territory . Thanks to the skillful actions of the government led by Qian and with the support of England and France, China eventually managed to get this territory back from the Russian Empire.

In 1879, Cixi's health improved significantly, so she decided to regain her lost power. However, Qian did not intend to lose power, which marked the beginning of the confrontation between the two dowager empresses. In 1880, during mourning ceremonies at the tomb of Emperor Xianfeng, the feud between Qian and Cixi grew into an open conflict. Then Qian got the advantage, but Cixi did not want to put up with this.

On April 8, 1881, during an audience in her palace, the Dowager Empress Regent Qian suddenly died. Most likely, the empress was poisoned by order of Cixi, because a few hours before her death, she sent Qian cakes of boiled rice. The reason for the murder could be the case when Tsian, unexpectedly entering Cixi’s chambers, found a newborn baby (despite the fact that Cixi did not appear in public for several months due to an unknown illness).

The Dowager Empress is buried in the Eastern Tombs of Qing.

• Lily Xiao Hong Lee, AD Stefanowska, ME Sharpe, 1998 "Biographical dictionary of Chinese women." ISBN 978-0-7656-0043-1 .