| Tongzhi Emperor 同治帝 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Qing dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 11 November 1861 – 12 January 1875 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Xianfeng Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Guangxu Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Regent(s) |
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| Born | (1856-04-27)27 April 1856 Chuxiu Palace,Forbidden City (in present-dayBeijing) | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 January 1875(1875-01-12) (aged 18) Yangxin Hall, Forbidden City | ||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Hui Mausoleum,Eastern Qing tombs | ||||||||||||||||
| Consort(s) | |||||||||||||||||
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| House | Aisin-Gioro | ||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Qing | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Xianfeng Emperor | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Xiaoqinxian | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 同治帝 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 同治帝 | ||||||||||||||||
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TheTongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875),[1] also known by histemple nameEmperor Muzong of Qing, personal nameZaichun,[2] was the ninthemperor of theQing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule overChina proper. His reign, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule ofEmpress Dowager Cixi. Although he had little influence over state affairs, the events of his reign gave rise to what historians call the "Tongzhi Restoration", an unsuccessful modernization program.
The only surviving son of theXianfeng Emperor, he ascended the throne at the age of five under a regency headed by his biological mother Empress Dowager Cixi and his legal motherEmpress Dowager Ci'an. TheSelf-Strengthening Movement, in which Qing officials pursued radical institutional reforms following the disasters of theOpium Wars and theTaiping Rebellion, began during his reign. The Tongzhi Emperor assumed personal rule over the Qing government in 1873, but he had no interest in affairs of state and immediately came into conflict with his ministers. He was outmaneuvered by the dowager empresses.
He died ofsmallpox at the age of 18 in 1875, following unsuccessful medical treatments; his death without a male heir created a succession crisis. In contravention to Qing's dynastic custom, his double first cousin assumed the throne as theGuangxu Emperor.
The only surviving son of theXianfeng Emperor andEmpress Dowager Cixi, the Tongzhi Emperor was namesake to the attempted political reform initiated by his mother, called theTongzhi Restoration. Hisera name was originally proposed as "Qixiang" (祺祥; Manchu:Fengšengge sabingga), but this was later changed upon his succession to "Tongzhi". The era name means 'order and prosperity' coming from the Confucian teaching that "there are many ways of being a good government, and they can all be summarized as order and prosperity".[3]
The Tongzhi Emperor became emperor at the age of five upon the death of his father, the Xianfeng Emperor. His father's choice of a regent,Sushun, was removed in favor of a partnership between his motherEmpress Dowager Cixi andEmpress Dowager Ci'an.
While there had most likely been hopes that the Tongzhi Emperor would become a successful leader like theKangxi Emperor (who ascended the throne as a child in 1661), those hopes would soon be disappointed, as the Tongzhi Emperor grew up to become an obstinate and dissolute young man who also expressed his dissatisfaction with his mother Empress Cixi.[4]
| Tongzhi Emperor | |||||||||||
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| Chinese | 同治帝 | ||||||||||
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In the fall of 1872, he marriedEmpress Xiaozheyi and two official concubines. The Tongzhi Emperor apparently had wanted to take up power immediately, prompting a quarrel at court regarding the dismantling of the regency and the timing of it. However, the two empresses dowager stuck by the intended date of February 23, 1873.[5]
The day after the Tongzhi Emperor took power, foreigners requested an audience with him. The request precipitated a sharp disagreement between the ministers at theforeign legations, who made it clear that they would not perform the ritualkowtow to the emperor, and theZongli Yamen (foreign affairs ministry), regarding the protocol to be observed. The Qing government was also loath to hold the audience within the confines of the Forbidden City, eventually settling on the "Pavilion of Purple Light" at one of the lakeside palaces to the west of the Forbidden City, which is now part ofZhongnanhai.[6] The audience was finally held on 29 June 1873. After the audience, however, the foreign representatives made clear their annoyance at being received in a hall initially used by the Qing emperors to receive envoys of tributary states.
In the fall of 1874, the Tongzhi Emperor got into a clash with his ministers, which included his two uncles,Prince Gong andPrince Chun, largely over the emperor's plans to rebuild theOld Summer Palace at a time in which the empire was bankrupt, and over his dissolute behavior. The emperor reacted by firing the ministers, but Empresses Dowager Ci'an and Cixi intervened, and he had them reinstated. That December, it was announced that he was ill withsmallpox, and the Empress Dowagers resumed the regency. He died on 12 January 1875, leaving no sons to succeed him.[citation needed]
The Tongzhi Emperor's death left the court in a succession crisis as he was childless. Eventually, the empresses dowager designated the Tongzhi Emperor's three-year-old cousin, Zaitian, as the heir to the throne. Zaitian was biologicallyPrince Chun's son, but was symbolically adopted as the Xianfeng Emperor's son to make him eligible to succeed the Tongzhi Emperor. Zaitian was thus enthroned as theGuangxu Emperor, with Empresses Dowager Ci'an and Cixi resuming their roles as regents.Empress Alute, Tongzhi's wife, died shortly after her husband. The cause of her death is unclear.[citation needed]
The inspiration for the future Self-Strengthening Movement arose from the notion that China's defense in the face of war and rebellion must come from within, as the superior man strengthens himself under imperative of Heaven's robust action. The costs of war andrebellion dictated that the Qing dynasty undertake vigorous measures to ensure its survival. Moreover, the very survival of China itself was now at stake.[citation needed]
Self-strengthening efforts evolved in a succession of stages over a period of almost half a century. In 1840 Imperial CommissionerLin Zexu, impressed by the power of British warships in the initial battles of theOpium War, advocated adoption of Western naval technology. The paddle-wheel steamerNemsis had run circles around cumbersome Chinese war junks. Some Chinese at first believed the paddle-wheels were powered by men inside the ship, but soon came to appreciate the power of steam, Commissioner Lin was the first self-strengthener.[citation needed]
Self-strengthening enterprises, including arsenals, shipyards, and technical schools, were now established in the principal treaty ports where access to Western technology was most direct. By 1860, the overwhelming bulk of the Chinese scholarly class had become cognizant of the enormity of changes that were taking place due to the increasingly prevalent Western presence in China. They now proclaimed that change was irresistible and advocated for deeper studies of Western technology. Many reforms were proposed and implemented such as theSelf-Strengthening Movement, but ultimately the failure of reforms was due to multiple factors such as political machinations.[7][8]
Tongzhi Emperor Born: 27 April 1856 Died: 12 January 1875 | ||
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| Preceded by | Emperor of the Qing dynasty Emperor of China 1861–1875 | Succeeded by |
Emperors of theQing dynasty | ||
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Later Jin rulers posthumously regarded as Qing emperors Enthroned in 1626 asKhan,Hong Taiji changed the dynastic name to "Great Qing" in 1636 and claimed the title of emperor. | .svg) | |
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