In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary and deeply controversial life of Empress Dowager Cixi, the woman who ruled Qing Dynasty China for nearly half a century during one of the most chaotic periods in Chinese history. Rising from the rank of a low-level concubine inside the Forbidden City, Cixi became the dominant political force behind the throne through palace coups, strategic alliances, and relentless political survival.

This episode examines the collapse of imperial China through Cixi’s eyes: the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion, modernization struggles, foreign invasions, the Boxer Rebellion, and the growing tension between tradition and reform. We follow her rise to power after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, her control over two successive child emperors, and the complicated relationship she maintained with moder ...