Why did Cixi like to take pictures so much?

As the most famous figure in the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi has received focused research by historians. In the process of research, many people have discovered that Cixi has such a characteristic, that is, she likes to take pictures very much. In fact, Cixi didn't like taking pictures at the beginning, but why did she become keen on taking pictures later?

Actually, the main reason is that when I first started, I thought photography was a foreign thing that would absorb people’s souls. But later, when I saw more and more people taking pictures, and nothing happened, I gradually became more relaxed. Cixi's favorite photo pose was to treat herself as Lafayette, just like the picture above, with ministers on both sides. , and I was sitting in the middle, feeling quite like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva rescuing suffering people.

The shape of Guanyin Bodhisattva is also Cixi’s favorite. The palace maids and eunuchs also catered to the hobby of harmony. When taking pictures, they tried their best to make their postures and expressions very exaggerated. For example, in the picture above, the eunuch Li Lianying was very well done from body shape to expression.

One of the Empress Dowager Cixi’s favorite ways to travel is to hug each other in front of her. She feels like an emperor. As you can see from this photo, Cixi goes out in a very grand way, surrounded by a bunch of eunuchs. There were people surrounding her, and the Empress Dowager Cixi also wanted to preserve this scene, so she lost no time in taking a photo.

This photo is a rare one taken alone, because I usually like to have many people around me when taking photos. It is said that the Empress Dowager Cixi hesitated for a long time when taking this photo because she felt very uncomfortable taking pictures of herself. In fact, the Empress Dowager Cixi was also a very insecure woman.

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn’t like taking pictures at first, but later she became willing to take pictures. In addition to wanting to preserve her own scenery, on the other hand, her inner expansion was also the reason why she liked taking pictures. From then on As can be seen from the picture above, the Empress Dowager Cixi is holding a banner on her head that reads "Long live the Queen Mother of the Qing Dynasty, Long Live Long Live". She also wants to live a long life, but with the white banner on her head, she doesn't look very comfortable.

Finally, here is a color photo of Empress Dowager Cixi. Because the photography technology at that time was all black and white photos, this color photo was added through later technology. It can be seen from the photo that the Empress Dowager Cixi was very serious when taking this photo. It can be seen from this photo that, regardless of historical reasons, Empress Dowager Cixi should have been a great beauty when she was young.