Memorials Related to Empress Dowager Cixi

　　    For over a hundred years, the birthplace and childhood experiences of Empress Dowager Cixi have remained a mystery. On May 27, 1999, Xinhua News Agency reported that, “Experts believe that Empress Dowager Cixi was born in Changzhi County, Shanxi Province.” According to research by some experts and related individuals, Cixi was born in the 15th year of the Daoguang reign (1835) in Wangjia Village, Xipo, Changzhi County. At the age of four, she was sold to the Song family in Shangqin Village, the same county, as a daughter; seven or eight years later, she was sold again to serve as a maid in the household of the prefect of Lu’an Prefecture, where she was later adopted as a foster daughter. She then entered the imperial palace under the identity of the daughter of a Manchu official named Huizheng, gradually rising to become the Empress Dowager. Today, the ruins of Cixi’s birthplace, the tomb of her birth mother, the “Courtyard of Empress Cixi,” and the “Courtyard of Empress Dowager Cixi’s Study” still remain.

　　    “Courtyard of Empress Cixi” – Located in Shangqin Village, Changzhi County, this courtyard earned its name because Cixi once lived here. The property consists of two connected courtyards, covering an area of about 800 square meters. There are a total of 33 rooms, with single-story buildings in the front courtyard and a two-story building in the rear courtyard. All structures are made of brick and wood, featuring typical Qing Dynasty architecture. They are now largely well-preserved, offering both historical and aesthetic value.

　　    “Courtyard of Empress Dowager Cixi’s Study” – Located within the former West Garden of the Lu’an Prefecture government office compound, now part of the Changzhi Transport Company campus in downtown Changzhi, this courtyard gained its name because Cixi once studied here. Covering an area of about 330 square meters, it is called the “West Flower Hall,” and contains four rooms, which served as Cixi’s study after she was adopted as a foster daughter by the prefect of Lu’an Prefecture during her childhood. The building was originally constructed during the Sui and Tang dynasties and was renovated during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is now mostly intact. Outside the courtyard lies the back hall compound of the old Lu’an Prefecture government office. Within this area are the back hall (built during the Sui and Tang periods and renovated in the Ming and Qing), along with three matching east and west wing rooms, each with three bays. In 1997, after renovation, an exhibition titled “Research on Cixi’s Childhood” and a related calligraphy and painting exhibition were held here, displaying over 100 pieces of precious cultural relics, historical images, and calligraphy works by famous artists. The courtyard is filled with tall poplar trees, long weeping willow branches, birdsong, floral fragrance, and lush pines and cypresses.