| − | [[Empress]] [[Dowager]] '''Cixi''' (November 29, 1835 to November 15, 1908) was a regent of the [[Qing dynasty]]. She was a consort of the [[Xianfeng]] emperor, mother of the [[Tongzhi]] emperor, and adoptive mother of the [[Guangxu]] emperor. In 1889, Cixi retired as regent and took up residence at the Summer Palace outside Beijing. China's defeat by Japan in 1895 inspired a reformist movement led by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. During the "Hundred Days of Reform" of 1898, Guangxu issued numerous edicts inspired by reformist officials. Conservatives appealed to Cixi, who staged a coup that restored her authority. After the coup, Cixi kept the emperor confined at the Forbidden City. His life was saved only by the intervention of foreign powers. {{language box | + | [[Empress]] [[Dowager]] '''Cixi''' (1835 — 1908) was a regent of the [[Qing dynasty]]. She was a consort of the [[Xianfeng]] emperor, mother of the [[Tongzhi]] emperor, and adoptive mother of the [[Guangxu]] emperor. In 1889, Cixi retired as regent and took up residence at the Summer Palace outside Beijing. China's defeat by Japan in 1895 inspired a reformist movement led by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. During the "Hundred Days of Reform" of 1898, Guangxu issued numerous edicts inspired by reformist officials. Conservatives appealed to Cixi, who staged a coup that restored her authority. After the coup, Cixi kept the emperor confined at the Forbidden City. His life was saved only by the intervention of foreign powers. {{language box |