Cixi was originally a concubine to Emperor Xianfeng in the late 1850s. We actually visited her quarters while in the forbidden city. Cixi bore the emperor a son and when Xianfeng died unexpectedly, her son was crowned Emperor at age six. Cixi essentially ruled behind the curtain, gathering political allies as her son grew up. As he got older, he attempted to drive Cixi from the Forbidden City, and eventually died of smallpox. Meanwhile, the Dragonlady hand-picked one of Xianfeng's nephews as Emperor but continued to rule through him, governing the Hundred Days' Reform, The Boxer Rebellions, and the Qing Reforms among other politics. The new Emperor died two days before Cixi, giving her enough time to pick successor who would continue her policies, leading to speculation that she poisoned. Regardless of whether or not this is true, Emperor Dowager Cixi definately had a major influence on China.
The lake its self was actually man-made, built by the Emperess in an attempt to immitate the breathtaking West Lake in Hangzhou, which we also visited. It didn't quite compare, but it sure came pretty close. The dirt excavated to create the lake was used to build a man-made mountian, acutely named Longevity Hill, atop which the palace rests. It was gorgeous, and we had free time to simpy sit by the water and enjoy the view and the breeze.
Beneath the willows by the lake and Longevity Hill.The Dragonlady's stone Dragonboat, where she used to dine by the lake.
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