The Last Days of an Empire

At the end of twentieth century, the world witnessed China's rise as a global power. Some alleged that the twenty-first century would be the Chinese Century. However, few realized that barely one hundred years ago, China suffered the lowest point in her history. In the late nineteenth century, foreign powers dominated China. The only reason that China escaped the fate of being a colony was her sheer size, and the US intervention. By 1900, when other Western Powers… (more)

At the end of twentieth century, the world witnessed China's rise as a global power. Some alleged that the twenty-first century would be the Chinese Century. However, few realized that barely one hundred years ago, China suffered the lowest point in her history. In the late nineteenth century, foreign powers dominated China. The only reason that China escaped the fate of being a colony was her sheer size, and the US intervention. By 1900, when other Western Powers were about to divide China, the United States felt her interest in Asia was at stake, and interfered by proposing an Open Door Policy for China based on the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine. Under the US interference, China maintained her independence. However, the independence was in the name only. The foreign powers were free to negotiate their interest in China without consulting China. Who was responsible for China’s demise? Is it entirely the fault of Western power invasion? China had multiple chances to reform herself just as Japan did. During the nineteenth century, while the Europe was advancing rapidly both economically and politically, China closed its door for more than one hundred years. China’s decline was synchronized with her dynasty cycle. Was the cycle of the dynasty to blame? The last dynasty Qing was founded by invader – Manchu. Was Manchu, which Han Chinese regarded as a foreign conqueror, the culprit? Is China today different from China yesterday? Is the dynasty cycle broken with the arrival of modernization? Is Communist China free from the spell of the cycle of the imperial political system? Is Communist China one of the dynasties in China? It is too early to tell. After all, Qing Dynasty survived 275 years. If Communist China can survive that long as a dynasty, its end will not come until year 2245. As any imperial court, Qing Court was full of intrigues. How did Empress CiXi grab power when she was only a twenty-seven years old widow, against the most powerful royal family? Who pushed the Emperor GuangXu’s beloved Consort Zhen into a well to die? Why did the young Emperor GuangXu, at the age thirty-three, die exactly one day before Empress CiXi? How did Japan, a small non-European country, win the Russo Japanese War and annihilated two of the three Russian powerful fleets? Was Empress CiXi a villain, as most history books describe her? Or was she just helpless against the tide? You will find the answers in this book. The stories in this book are not for your history lessons but for your entertainment. After reading this book, you might find that you will have a different perception of the China today.