The secret of the true face of "Xiao Daocheng" Cixi is also called a beauty at the age of 70 ()

Recently, the general office of the Qing court in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region opened to the outside world with the official's son, and exhibited a number of precious cultural relics. Among them, there are stories about the life of Empress Dowager Cixi in Suiyuan during her teenage years, and little is known so far.

The west side of the General's Mansion used to be the official hall, where officials except the General performed their official duties or had a rest. At present, it has become an exhibition hall to show the family life of Empress Dowager Cixi in her girlhood, displaying two hand-painted Chinese paintings of Empress Dowager Cixi and copper pots, copper pots and silver ingots.

Cixi's father, Kevin Z, is a man holding a yellow flag. Kevin·Z rose from Anhui's back platform to Guisui's police road platform, and then came to Suiyuan with her 15-year-old daughter Laner and her family to live in Qingfeng Street.

According to some historical records, Cixi lived in Suiyuan City as a child and was interested in literature, painting, calligraphy and history. She studies here, learns painting, plays chess and piano, and often rides horses and shoots arrows. There is no record of Empress Dowager Cixi in Historical Records, but there is such a description in unofficial history: "Every time I travel, the onlookers mumble with joy and admiration, saying that the incarnation of the immortal is the same."

At the beginning of the 20th century, when the Dutch painter Huaxi huber created this painting, Cixi was 765,438+0 years old, but she still looked young and beautiful. According to Andrew Hogwarts, an art history expert who participated in the restoration, it was Cixi who asked to remove the shadow from her face after seeing the portrait sample. Her eyes are getting bigger and bigger and her lips are getting thicker and thicker. In fact, Cixi loved beauty all her life and never diminished in her later years.

As can be seen from this photo, Cixi, who is nearly 70 years old, is actually a beautiful woman.

In the bedroom of Cixi in the Summer Palace, there is an exquisite dresser in the southeast corner, which stores all kinds of cosmetics of Cixi, some of which are paid tribute from all over the country, and some are developed by ourselves. Cixi often teaches her ladies-in-waiting how to choose fresh rose petals and make rouge according to the methods in the book, and sometimes gives them to the ladies-in-waiting in the harem. She often said: "A woman has no intention of dressing herself up, so what strength does she have to live!" " "

In addition to skin care, Cixi also attaches great importance to clothing. All her clothes were made by the Royal Painter of Ruyi Pavilion, revised repeatedly until she was satisfied, and then sent to Jiangnan for knitting. The road is long, but it is necessary. Cixi is petite. When she is wearing a nightgown and a dress, her feet are flowerpot shoes about 10 cm deep. Her favorite shoes are pink satin embroidered bamboo butterfly carp flowerpot shoes. Cixi always wore two pairs of earrings when she was alive. When Emperor Xianfeng first entered the palace, a pair of small round earrings never took off. It symbolizes her love for the emperor, but another pair of earrings is often changed to symbolize beauty. She wants all the earrings.

Perhaps because of her strength or her unique vision, Cixi's favorite clothes often become the fashion trend of the court. She likes apricot robes that were popular in the Qing palace during the Tongzhi period, and many women in the palace imitated the style of this dress. According to a personal maid in Memoirs of a Maid, Cixi once said to her, "Rong Er, your braid is so stupid." If the braid is long, you can't walk steadily. How beautiful. This statement can be used as a reference for Cixi's aesthetic view.

1In August, 904, American female painter Carl came to Huawei to paint Cixi. Later, she recorded in The Portrait of Cixi: "The body parts of Empress Dowager Cixi are extremely commensurate, and the beautiful face is harmoniously combined with her soft hands, slim figure and shiny black hair, which complement each other." There are also some kind words in the article, such as Cixi, who is nearly 70 years old, "at most 40 years old."

Cixi is very satisfied with her appearance. She enlarged several photos of her pride, each 75 cm long and 60 cm wide. Embedded in a special carved gold lacquer frame, a special rosewood box is made. Coupled with bright yellow silk embroidery tapestry, it is very luxurious. These big photos were hanging in her bedroom at that time. She often looks at photos and looks in the mirror to see the difference.

One of her photos is Guanyin Bodhisattva dressed up, with a clean water bottle in her left hand and a willow branch in her right hand. Li stands on her right, like a lucky boy. Cixi had a special historical position in that year and still retains a trace of humanity.

Descendants of Cixi reveal the story of Cixi.

There is a beautiful courtyard with a blue brick, gray tile and red paint gate at Fangjiayuan, Chaoyangmen, Dongcheng District, Beijing 1 1. There is a screen wall and a swimming pool in the yard. Two wisteria plants are flourishing in the yard, one begonia is still bearing fruit, a pebble pier is left idle by the wall, and a peeling brick carving is abandoned in the corner. It seems that people can still find the duke's residence here. On the gate of this typical ancient quadrangle in China, there is a plaque inscribed by the Royal Garden of Ai Xin, with three words written on it: "Back to the House". That year, it was from here that two Empresses of the Qing Dynasty appeared, namely Cixi and Yulong. The special status of the two Empresses and Emperors makes it even more prominent for Ye Henara's family to live in this "expensive palace mansion". Later Qing history experts also praised this "expensive house" as "the phoenix nest of two queens in the late Qing Dynasty".

Recently, the author made a special trip to the beehive in Beijing, and was fortunate to meet Yela Genzheng, the fourth great-grandson of Cixi, who came out of the beehive.

The beautiful Cixi in TV series

Henna La and the Origin of the First Empress in Qing Dynasty

"There is a story about the origin of Ye Haina," Ye Haina said. "At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Ye Haina's family established Ye Hecheng in Ye He, and there was a war with Aisingiorro's family. At this time, the head of the Aixing family pointed to the earth and said, "We are the noblest gold on the earth! The leader of Ara smiled and pointed to the sun in the sky and said, "What is gold?" "Our surname is it!" Ye Lashi finally defeated Essien Choro and became the largest tribe in Northeast China at that time. '

According to historical records, Ye is a big surname of Manchu and one of the earliest surnames. Yenara's earliest ancestors can be traced back to the jurchen of Haixi in the Five Dynasties. Her ancestor is Xing, formerly known as Tut. Ye Nala's ancestors were originally Mongolians in Hulunbeier, where she was pregnant. Nara means love. He owned his own land and became a country. Because his country is a city built by Yehe, it is called Nara Yehe. Yenala is one of the eight Manchu surnames, among which there are many literary heroes. For example, Nalan Xingde, an outstanding Manchu scholar known as "the first scholar in the early Qing Dynasty", was surnamed Ye. But the world-famous ones are Ye and Nora, the three queens and Nora.

Teacher Na Genzheng told the author: "Ye Shiyuan and Ai Xinjue Roche are blood relatives of several generations." Nuhachi was born to Yenara and the son-in-law of Yenara family. His Prince Huang Taiji was also born to Yehnara. There is an old saying in the Qing Dynasty that Ye Henara's family has beautiful women from generation to generation. "

The Queen Nurhachi mentioned by Na Genzheng here, that is, the mother of Huang Taiji, was the first queen of the Qing Dynasty and also a filial queen. Xiaoci is the daughter of Yehe Minister Yang. In the 16th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, she married Nurhachi as a condition for the alliance between Jianzhou Jurchen and Yehe Jurchen. She lived with Nurhachi for 15 years and only gave birth to Huang Taiji. She died of illness at the age of 29. In the first year of Chongde, Huang Taiji chased her as the high queen of the Prince.

The year of 15 with Xiao Nuerhachi was a glorious period when Nuerhachi actively expanded outward, unified the ministries of Jurchen and reduced concubines.

According to teacher Na Genzheng, it took Nurhachi 36 years to unify Mongolia and other ministries in northeast China, and finally declared war on Yehnara! There are two reasons: first, Yenara is the best; Second, Ye Hanke is his uncle, and this general is his cousin and relative. At that time, Nurhachi led a great army to surround Yehecheng, but did not immediately declare war. Instead, he knelt in front of the city for three days and nights, demanding that Ye Hecheng surrender and unite against the Ming regime. However, Yenara's family thinks you are our in-laws. You didn't accept my order, but you did. That's not good! Firmly disagree. There is no way, in the case of Nurhachi decree, all officials who are willing to surrender, who resist, I don't want any, and they will not die a natural death. In this way, Nurhachi declared war on Yehnara. After fierce fighting, Nurhachi finally came and killed tens of thousands of people. The leader surrounded by the Naraya River also committed suicide, preferring to die rather than surrender. Finally, the older generation died, and the rest of the young people saw that the tide was gone and surrendered to Nurhachi.

Because of this story, it is said that Yenara and Aisin Gioro are feuds, and neither concubines nor prostitutes in the palace choose Yenara. However, Na Genzheng told the author, "In fact, this is ridiculous. Not only the concubines of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong were Ye, but also the side concubines of Emperor Taizong. Later, the concubines of Kangxi and Emperor Taizong were Ye. However, it was Empress Dowager Cixi who made the Yehnala family truly famous in the world! "

The mystery left by two portraits of Cixi

Hu Bo, a Dutch petrochemical, left us a century-old mystery with his two paintings of Cixi. The two paintings are different in appearance details and spiritual temperament. What is the reason? Which painting is closer to the real face of Cixi in her later years?

If Cixi knew that the painter had painted another portrait for her, would she still say "yes" to him?

The portrait of Cixi exhibited in the Paris Art Museum makes people feel her strong will.

The portrait of Cixi preserved in Deheyuan is quiet and intact.

When a Dutch painter submitted a sample of his portrait to Cixi for review, the Queen Mother actually commented in English: "Good!"

This is a scene that happened in 1905. It is not surprising that Cixi speaks this kind of English. Earlier, she asked Wu, then Assistant Foreign Minister, how to say "yes" in English. Cixi also asked Dr. Wu about the pronunciation of other English words. However, perhaps subconsciously, she never asked the two most commonly used words in English-"thank you" and "sorry". In short, saying "good" proves that Cixi is very satisfied with this painting. However, for painters, the works that satisfy customers must be the most authentic? At least, this painter named Hubert Hu Bo may not think so. If Empress Dowager Cixi who said "Yes" knew what she was thinking at this time, I'm afraid she would entertain her guests with the top ten tortures of the Qing Dynasty. Because the Dutch painter painted another portrait for her, which the Queen Mother had never seen before.

If you visit the Summer Palace, you can see an oil painting embedded in the framework of Dehe Garden from floor to ceiling, with a height of 234.5cm and a width of144cm. In the painting, Cixi sits on a hardwood chair, with a reasonable angle of view, serene and realistic expression and very well maintained. Anna van Greevenson, a cultural relic expert, came from the Netherlands to restore this painting in 2007. She commented, "You can almost feel the texture of the powder on the queen mother's cheek." For a long time, people thought it was the truest and most accurate portrait of Cixi. This evaluation is inseparable from Hu Bo's artistic attainments.

Huaxi Hu Bo, whose real name is Hubertworth, 1855, was born in the Netherlands. He used to be called Hu Boshihua in China, but Qing officials reminded him that his surname should be before China, so he changed his name to Shihua Hu Bo. He is the most outstanding portrait painter in Holland. He painted portraits of Beya Trix Wilhelmina Armgard, korean king, Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai. He is the first artist in Europe who pays attention to portraits of colored people, and the only male painter who paints portraits of Cixi.

However, few people know that this portrait of De Heyuan is not the only portrait of Cixi painted by Chinese studies teacher Hu Bo. 1906, he exhibited another portrait of Cixi in Paris Gallery. The Empress Dowager Cixi in the painting has an aggressive expression, not the kindness and gentleness in the oil paintings of Deheyuan. In the exhibition, newspapers and magazines commented on this painting. "The best thing is the eyes. When people stare at it for a while, they have to avoid it. The East Queen Mother seems to be right in front of you, burning her power and arrogance. " This painting is now in the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University.

Which portrait is the true face of Cixi, the Summer Palace or the Paris Art Museum?

So, which of these two paintings is closer to the real Cixi? Although China teacher Hu Bo visited China twice in the late Qing Dynasty, he only had one chance to meet Cixi and paint her.

Huber, Chinese teacher, 1899 First time to China. Speaking of this trip, it is very romantic. This is the end of his wedding trip around the world. He married Princess Keckley of Hawaii. At home, he painted portraits of Prince Yi, Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai in the Qing Dynasty, and also proposed to paint portraits of Cixi and Guangxu, but he did not get a positive response. However, these paintings still brought him opportunities. 1905, Cixi ordered Chinese teacher Hu Bolai to paint her in Chinese. It is said that she has seen the portrait of Hu Bo and likes it very much.

1June, 905, came to Beijing at the invitation of Wu. He has painted it four times since June 20th, but he doesn't know where to draw it. According to his description, he went with Wu, also from the military department. "Go into the city gate, look at the lotus pond in the garden, go in by boat, and then wait for the queen mother in the temple." It is estimated that Hu Bo's painting location is Zhongnanhai, near a Luan Hall where Cixi used to live. Hu Bo recalled that "the light came from the left", which was a remarkable feature of the paintings exhibited in Paris. Here, Hu Bo painted a portrait sample, then finished his work in the hotel, got paid and left China. Three years later, Cixi died, and Hu Bo never saw her again.

It can be inferred that both portraits depict the 69-year-old Cixi in 1905. Obviously, the portrait of Cixi exhibited in Paris is more suitable for this era.

There is also evidence to the contrary. First of all, in the existing photos of Cixi at that time, its image is closer to the portrait of De Heyuan. Some people remember that Cixi lived a prosperous life in her later years and looked younger than her actual age. However, considering that the photos at that time had to be strictly revised, it was common for real people and photos to be very different. Secondly, in Hu Bo's memory, behind the throne in the painting scene is a curtain with a bamboo forest pattern, surrounded by a plate of apples and a big fan with peacock feathers on both sides. These are more in line with the background of the portrait of Dehetou.

However, Hu Bo recalled that the portrait of Cixi he first tried to draw was "a painting with a dark background and a slightly mysterious color". The portrait of Cixi was exhibited in Paris with a dragon in the background. Maybe this painting is Hu Bo's ideal work?

Cixi doesn't want a completely true portrait.

Let's take a look at Hu Bo's detailed description of the painting process. He said that the portrait of Cixi exhibited in Paris was based on the sample he drew in Beijing after he left China. This sample is obviously not the one that Cixi inspected, but another sample that he made after his first painting on June 20th of that year. This is because, after the painting was finished on June 20, the Qing court put forward a series of amendments, including removing the shadows of the upper and lower eyes and nose, enlarging the eyes, keeping the eyebrows straight, the corners of the mouth rising and the lips plump. It is said that this was personally requested by Cixi.

According to this requirement, Hu Bo completed the second sample, which was reviewed by Zaizhen and others and handed over to Cixi after being satisfied. This time, Cixi suggested opening her eyes. In this way, the revised sample has become the blueprint for the preservation of portraits in Deheyuan. It can be seen that these changes have been fully responded in the portrait of The Source of the Tak River. Hu Bo also knew that Cixi didn't want a completely true portrait as she guessed.

In the Paris Gallery, Cixi's eyes have obvious shadows above and below, highlighting the existence of bags under the eyes, and clearly drawing a curved eyebrow bone, indicating that Cixi's eyebrows have been redrawn. The bridge of the nose is firm, highlighting the Sichuan character on the forehead, the corners of the mouth are obviously bent downward, and the lips are angular. This may be a means to express the strong determination of western figures, but in the eyes of orientals, there is a little girl and boy who may feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that Cixi asked for revision.

It can be inferred that the works of Paris Gallery are closer to the first sample of Hu Bo. In other words, it is closer to the real Cixi, because when Hu Bo made the first sample, the aim was to be as real as possible.

Look at this portrait carefully, just like Hu Bo's description of Cixi: "Sitting up straight means strong will, and the wrinkles on her face are also meaningful." Only such a cunning and fierce Nora can explain the shocking past of that era.

Cixi calligraphy and painting ghostwriter [/s2/]

Cixi, commonly known as Empress Dowager Cixi, is a famous figure. In addition to being good at politics, Cixi loves painting and calligraphy all her life, and especially likes to repay ministers with her own paintings and calligraphy to show her love and win the hearts of the people. In fact, Cixi has no artistic talent, and most of her paintings and calligraphy are written by others. The seal dedicated to Cixi became Cixi's own work. Therefore, strictly speaking, it is more accurate to call Cixi's paintings and calligraphy as Cixi's paintings and calligraphy.

So, what is the calligraphy and painting of Cixi? The Palace Museum in Beijing has a collection of Panruo Prajna Xin Jing written by Cixi in cinnabar in the 30th year of Guangxu. This classic book has a slow and loose writing structure, weak writing ability, immaturity and lifelessness, and belongs to the primary ink book level. As for Cixi's hand-painting, we can see that there is a draft of Liao Hua Mantis, which is the treasure of Cixi's imperial brushwork, and there are also teachers' comments on the painting, including "good ink", "good" and "pen meaning". But careful examination of his paintings is also a beginner's level; Flowers of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Like broken branches and dead leaves. The branches are mixed together and the leaves are messy. They are hesitant and unskilled with pens. A mantis was also painted in a mess. Therefore, Cixi's painting ability is far from the level of independent painting.

Miao painter, a native of Kunming, Yunnan, is the most important representative of Cixi School. After Miao entered the palace, because she was used to the secular way of officialdom, she was only a link between the preceding and the following, and was friendly to the lower class, so she was called "female painter" and "teacher Miao" and won unanimous praise from concubines for the palace master. Empress Dowager Cixi was very polite to her, and gave her three kinds of clothes, 200 gold a month, without kneeling. She often lets Miao Bao be an official around, teaching her to paint or painting for her at any time. Qu Wei, a court painter in the late Qing Dynasty, painted pine trees, cranes and ganoderma lucidum for Cixi.

Cixi's low artistic taste and expressive force led to the mediocrity of her palace paintings. During this period, no creative painters were trained, and no works that had an impact on the painting world at that time or later were created. Under the background of "Shanghai School" painting, which originated from folk and artistic prosperity, the court painting in the late Qing Dynasty became increasingly pale, which often made people ignore its existence.