Emperor Guangxu
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Summary
He was a sovereign in name only; he had the passion and spirit of youth, yet could neither exercise them nor control his own fate. In clear, fluent prose, the author combines factual knowledge, readability, and historical accuracy, making the book highly accessible.
Illustrated throughout, the book is of real value for understanding the emperors of the Qing dynasty and the character of their era.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in late Qing history and court figures who want an accessible introduction
- Middle and high school history teachers and students seeking detail on Guangxu and the late Qing upheavals
- Readers of illustrated historical biography who prefer plain, fluent prose
- General readers who want to understand the politics around the Hundred Days' Reform through a personal lens
Not a good fit for
- Specialist researchers seeking deep institutional history and rigorous academic argument
- Readers who prefer strongly plotted novels and lack patience for historical background
- Veteran readers already steeped in late Qing monographs who hope for entirely new sources
Reading tips
- Familiarize yourself with Cixi and the Hundred Days' Reform first; the book reads much more smoothly afterward
- Read in stages—Guangxu's childhood, assumption of power, the reform, and his confinement—to follow the shifts in his situation
- Read the images alongside the text to deepen your sense of the late Qing court and the mood of the age
- Follow up with a general history of the late Qing to place one man's fate in a larger frame
About the publisher
China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章 载湉诞生 父母身世
- 一 醇府喜讯 载湉诞生
- 二 父母双亲 显赫身世
- 第二章 载湉继位 嘉顺自戕
- 一 同治病逝 载湉继位
- 二 嘉顺皇后 被迫自戕
- 第三章 吴氏尸谏 二度垂帘
- 一 吴氏尸谏 震惊朝野
- 二 二度垂帘 慈禧如愿
- 第四章 幼帝受宠 典学授读
- 一 慈禧关心 幼帝受宠
- 二 聘请名师 典学授读
- 第五章 慈安病逝 陪坐金銮
- 一 慈安突亡 疑团纠结
- 二 陪坐金銮 初涉政务
- 第六章 甲申易枢 慈禧训政
- 一 甲申易枢 慈禧揽权
- 二 慈禧训政 推迟交权
- 第七章 光绪大婚 慈禧归政
- 一 皇帝大婚 耗费惊人
- 二 慈禧守信 如期归政
- 第八章 帝后暗斗 光绪主战
- 一 帝党后党 暗中争斗
- 二 光绪主战 意愿难申
- 三 慈禧探询 无果而终
- 四 起用奕 调停战事
- 第九章 慈禧寿诞 坚决主和
- 一 慈禧寿诞 光绪重视
- 二 慈禧决策 坚决主和
- 第十章 三次遣使 屈辱签约
- 一 一次遣使 被拒而返
- 二 二次遣使 使臣受辱
- 三 三次遣使 鸿章遭创
- 四 条约签订 群议纷纷
- 五 光绪被迫 批准条约
- 六 下诏罪己 渴求人才
- 第十一章 变法前奏 总署辩论
- 一 戊戌变法 奏响序曲
- 二 诏定国是 决心变法
- 三 慈禧防范 发布四谕
- 第十二章 召见有为 百日维新
- 一 召见有为 实行变法
- 二 百日维新 影响深远
- 三 官制改革 遭遇阻力
- 第十三章 发动政变 慈禧训政
- 一 冷静观察 酝酿政变
- 二 发动政变 光绪被囚
- 三 围园劫后 确有谋划
- 四 谋废光绪 遭致反对
- 五 策立阿哥 再度失败
- 第十四章 错误决策 被迫西狩
- 一 慈禧擅权 错误决策
- 二 慈禧西狩 光绪被挟
- 三 珍妃被害 不容置疑
- 四 谨小慎微 礼仪皇帝
- 第十五章 光绪驾崩 历史评价
- 一 光绪驾崩 疑团丛生
- 二 历史定评 维新皇帝
- 光绪皇帝大事年表
FAQ
Is this book suitable for middle school students?
Is the book's assessment of Guangxu objective?
Do I need to know about the Hundred Days' Reform before reading?
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About the author
Xu Che is a Chinese author known for biographies of historical figures from China. Publicly available information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. The six works held in the collection show that his writing focuses on important figures from the late Ming and Qing dynasties through the early Republic of China, including Nurhaci, Hong Taiji, Empress Dowager Cixi, the Guangxu Emperor, Zhang Zuolin, and Li Yuanhong. These subjects range from founding rulers to late Qing rulers and Beiyang military and political figures. His works are generally classified as comprehensive biographies and historical readings, reflecting an approach that uses a person's life as the thread while also describing the historical background of the era. He tends to center on his subjects' political activities and life trajectories, writing in plain and readable language suitable for general readers interested in the history of the Ming-Qing transition and the Republican period. Overall, Xu Che is a writer of popular historical biographies.
