Chinese History

Alan Baumler notes the history of the Princess of Pingyang. Unfortunately, what he writes is pretty much the entirety of what we know, but it’s still interesting.

Scientists using x-rays and chemical analysis have conclusively shown that the Guangxu emperor was poisoned in 1908. Almost as interesting as the science is the reactions from descendants of the imperial family, who are still out there:

The popular view of the dowager empress as a tyrannical ogre whose cruel and eccentric rule fatally weakened China and allowed it to fall under the influence of western powers is a key part of Communist Party propaganda.

The alternative view, that she was manipulated by a secretive, ultra-conservative and xenophobic clique who would stop at nothing to prevent liberal reform, is rarely discussed.

Views of the dowager empress and her relationship with her nephew even divide surviving members of the royal family, some of whom believe she has been traduced by history.

But Jin Yuzhang, a nephew of the last emperor, stands by the traditional account. “I have not yet studied these findings,” Mr Jin, who has renounced his claim to the throne, told The Daily Telegraph.

“I think the downfall of the Qing dynasty was a historical inevitability. But the dowager empress cannot escape responsibility for some of these events.

“It was during her period in power that China’s decline happened.”

That last line is a classic example of bad historical reasoning, but there’s enough other evidence pointing at her responsibility to cover it.