Page:Glimpses into Chinese homes.djvu/33

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
GLIMPSES INTO CHINESE HOMES.
25

followed, very shortly, by his young wife. The occasion of her death is uncertain. The most popular rumor concerning it is, that she died of grief; it is also reported that she committed suicide, in accordance with a command of the Empress-Dowager.

A new Emperor was chosen by the Imperial council. According to Chinese ideas he must not be of an older generation than his predecessor. There were several uncles living, in the maturity of manhood, but a cousin, about three and a half years of age, was selected to receive the honor. The present Emperor was born August 15, 1871. The guardianship of the Empresses was extended to him. His authority has been only nominal until his recent ascension to power.

Since the death of the Emperor Hien Feng, in 1861, the great Empire of China has been practically under the regency of women. It is stated that the Empress of the East, who died in 1881, often exercised despotic sway, and the

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.