Blame It on the Women - “Cixi Was A Vampire”

We recently collected a catalogue from a 1977 exhibition at the Forbidden City museum about the empress dowager Cixi. The catalogue clearly has a message. In very direct language, the former Qing dynasty regent is described as the most selfish and evil human being imaginable. One headline simply states “Cixi Was A Vampire”.

The reason behind this history-based vendetta only becomes obvious on page 14. Here, a damning comparison between Mao’s third wife Jiang Qing and the empress dowager is made. Suddenly it becomes clear that the whole display is less about history than it is about supporting the ousting of Jiang Qing and the rest of the gang of four in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution.

Forbidden City Exhibition About Empress Dowager Cixi 1977

Despite the questionable historical integrity of the exhibition, there is actually a strong precedence for conveying a political message through the portrayal of historical figures in China, with deep roots in the time of the dynasties. When the notorious lackey of the Qianlong emperor Heshen was brought down for instance, he was even in official files described as the equivalent of Wang Mang, an official who was remembered in dynastic history for unrightfully usurping hundreds of years before.  This method of using historical figures had many advantages: you could get your message out without being to direct and exposing yourself to criticism, and by using a historical figure the weight of popular notions connected with them would also support your argument.

Another significant factor is that both Jiang Qing and Cixi are women. When the Qing dynasty collapsed due to corruption and other kinds of gross mismanagement, the bulk of the blame was at least in popular belief hung around the neck of the empress dowager Cixi. As a woman she was an easy target because, according to tradition, women were not supposed to execute political power in the first place. Most historians will agree that solely blaming Cixi is nonsense, but the notion of her guilt and the last dynasty’s subsequent collapse became so strong that 70 years after her death, the popular version of her regency was used to prosecute another woman Jiang Qing in the eyes of the public. Much in the same way as Cixi, Jiang Qing and the people associated with her were held solely responsible for the political chaos and atrocities committed during the Cultural Revolution. 

To get an idea of the extent of this, a visit to the Chinese Museum of Justice is enlightening. The museum has a whole room dedicated to the trial against Jiang Qing. The prosecution paved a way forward for China after the Cultural Revolution, as a whole new balance in society was created. But interestingly enough, the prosecution of Jiang Qing also preserved the official legacy of her husband, the great leader Mao Zedong, without too much of a stain.

Both Cixi and Jiang Qing were anomalies on the political stage, simply due to the fact that they were women, and it is always easier to point your finger at the outsider. So despite being 70 years apart, it was almost predictable that society developed the same solution while wrapping up a piece of inconvenient history: “Blame it on the women”.