I recently read a biography of Cixi Taihou written by Chang Jung, I think the title is The Concubine that Changed China? That book really puts Cixi Taihou in a very bright, awe-inspiring light, which made her as a tragic sacrifice for her country and a victim of Kang Youwei.
But since I am Chinese (albeit born and grew up in Indonesia), my parents used to tell me bedtime stories about Cixi Taihou, and she was always a cruel empress who stole the throne from her son, a lusty woman who frolicked with the eunuchs, poisoning her fellow Taihou, and many more. Like she is the ultimate villain for Qing Dynasty.
So which one is the real Cixi Taihou? What really prompts her cruelty and what makes her cast into such a bad villain? Is the book by Chang Jung tells the truth or is she exaggerating Cixi's greatness?
a lusty woman who frolicked with the eunuchs.
what kind of frolicking done with the eunuchs? Is it real eunuch?
I reviewed the Jung Chung book back in April and 2 other flaired users commented on it, which you may find interesting, including this book as a sort of response simply to her generally unfair historiographical treatment. The general consensus was that the book was pretty flawed though.
Chinese history has not been kind to the Empress Cixi. There are many things at play here.
First and foremost, there is an extreme sexism in Chinese history that sees female political figures as highly negative and dangerous to the saftey of the country. So it is more common to accentuate their negative qualities while down playing their positive achievements.
Second is that during much of the Empress' reign China literally fell apart and the court, led by the Empress was seen as ineffectual at implementing the proper measures and insure the saftey and security of the Chinese people. The foreign strength and Chinese weakness was contributed directly to the court and while some of this is fair, it's hard to say that if the court had been more open to reforms or western practices if the Qing dynasty would have not suffered the same fate. The West was interested in opening up the Chinese market at whatever cost, Imperialism was at it's height (with even the American's joining in albeit late but joining nonetheless).
Third the book by Chang Jung (which I have not yet read) seems to fit into a thread of recent histories published by authors that challenge the traditional mainstream of historical narratives. It seems like an effort to recapture the Empress' legacy in a light that isn't exclusively negative. Often times these recastings can take a romantic approach to their subject thus portraying them in an overly positive light.
To answer your question I think the real Cixi Taihou is somewhere inbetween the evil of your parents' stories and the greatness of Chang Jung's story.
In terms of cruelty, dyanstic feuds and transitions were often fraught with intrigue and violence and it was common practice to kill of anyone that might have a competeing claim to the throne. However, the Empress is cast as such a villian because she has become in a way a scapegoat for China's problems during the late Qing dynasty.
Not an answer, but adding to your question.
a cruel empress who stole the throne from her son
I heard that she had her son's pregnant wife murdered. Is there evidence that this is true?
I'm afraid i don know enough to answer your question, but I'm curious, what does Chang Jung make of Cixi spending the money that was supposed to go to the navy, on her summer palace?