Empress Dowager Cixi and her "one-of-a-kind" bathing style were the reasons for the fall of the Qing Dynasty?

There is an anecdote that Empress Dowager Xu Xi was a person who knew how to enjoy, of course, the luxurious life of Empress Dowager Xu Xi was something that posterity could not imagine and few nobles could surpass.

It can be said that Cixi the Empress Dowager of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was one of the women who made people judge and disparage the most. In addition to being the most powerful person in the late Qing Dynasty, killing many talents, she also caused people to resent her most luxurious, lazy lifestyle.

According to the research of many historians, after being made empress dowager and taking over as regent, Empress Dowager Cixi used her power to enjoy a lavish "pouring rice" life that even the emperor had never enjoyed. Therefore, many believe that it was Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagant, luxurious and cruel lifestyle that contributed to the emptiness of the Qing national treasury and pushed the dynasty to the brink of extinction.

The story of her daily life makes it difficult for the next generation to imagine. Each meal of Empress Dowager Cixi consisted of more than 100 dishes, 2 snacks with 40 to 50 dishes, each meal had 370 servants and dozens of eunuchs. Elaborate eating was like that, but it wasn't quite as good as her bathing.

In the book The Green Kite Bending Slip, it is written that when she turned old, Empress Dowager Cixi's skin still retained a pinkish-white appearance, smooth like a maiden. Kaer, an American artist who came to the Qing Dynasty to paint a portrait of the empress dowager at nearly 70 years old, wrote: "I am standing in front of the Empress Dowager, a very beautiful woman, with a friendly face, no more than 40 years old (in fact, the Empress Dowager is almost 70 years old this year).

Glittering eyes, slim hands, spotless wrinkles or dots, slender bodies, long shiny black hair, all perfect."

The secret to Empress Dowager Cixi's smooth, pink-shining skin lies in how to bathe. She spent more time bathing than eating.

Before the queen dowager bathes, a number of nuns are needed to be responsible for heating water, sauna, and arranging the bathhouse, which must be completed in half a day. After Empress Dowager Xu Xi finished bathing, they had to clean up little by little.

This is a complex process. Each time, there will be 4 palace ladies who specialize in bathing Xu Xi to prepare everything from chairs, bathtubs, face towels to soap and perfume. Xu Xi's seat was made of large stones, carved with dragons at his feet.

First, the arcs will spread oilcloth all over the floor so that water does not come out. 4 palace ladies will stand on 4 sides surrounding Xu Xi, each using 25 towels to clean the Empress Dowager's body. The finished towel was not dipped back into the water bath, but had to be thrown away so that after the empress dowager finished bathing, the water in the tub was still as clear as never used. These towels were also later disposed of because Empress Dowager Cixi did not like to reuse things that had been stained.

What's more special, Xu Xi the Empress Dowager did not bathe in a wooden tub like other people in the royal family, but used 2 more large bathtubs with a large area like 1 small swimming pool, if empty inside, it also needs 8 eunuchs to be able to lift. Cixi's bathtub is made of silver and the distinction is clear: one is for the upper half, one is for the lower half.

The 1st tub let Empress Dowager Xu Xi bathe the upper half of her body, then the rest in another bath, because according to Empress Dowager Cixi, yin and yang should be clearly distinguished. Finally, Empress Dowager Cixi took a dip in the 3rd bath.

All 3 bathtubs use 3 different types of warm water. While Empress Dowager Xu Xi bathed, all the eunuchs had to kneel and wait for orders behind 1 curtain, allowing only 4 ghosts to stand inside the bathroom.

Another extravagance in Empress Dowager Cixi's bathing habits was the number of towels she used.

They are arranged in 4 stacks, each consisting of 25 scarves, a total of up to 100 pieces. Each scarf has a golden dragon embroidered with golden silk thread: a dragon with its head raised, a dragon bowing to the moon, a dragon playing with a jewel, a dragon spraying water.

The delicately embroidered scarves plus the fancy shapes of 4 stacks of burgundy wooden towels and trays create a very magnificent scene.

Empress Dowager Cixi would bathe every day, but on hot days, she would wash more times. In the cold winter, she bathed 1 time every 3 days.

The number 100 is in fact associated with a lot of meanings, this is a round 3-digit number. This may also be the number that many people mark as landmarks. Not only in everyday life but even in important events, this number has a lot of meaning.

According to feudal China, many documents say, the number 100 represents fullness and perfection. As the only person, it is likely that Empress Dowager Xu Xi wanted her life to be full and full, so she preferred to use the number 100.

Empress Dowager Cixi's enjoyment had reached its zenith while the treasury was depleted, and the people were miserable. The emperor also expressed his desire for the empress dowager to save money, but according to the records of Lu Deling, even if the dynasty collapsed, Empress Dowager Cixi would still drain the last drop of blood to enjoy her own life.

Từ Hi Thái Hậu và 100 đứa trẻ nằm trong lăng mộ, sự thật rùng rợn hé lộ tội ác gây phẫn nộ Như Ý15:41:50 22/11/2021Từ Hi Thái Hậu (1835 - 1908) được mệnh danh là người phụ nữ quyền lực và tàn ác nhất lịch sử phong kiến của Trung Quốc. Vốn là người nắm giữ cương vị tối cao trong nhiều năm ở triều đại nhà Thanh, bà đã làm rất nhiều chuyện hoang đường, sát...