How did Cixi like photography? Why do you like Paris perfume?

Empress Dowager Cixi knows the way of pleasure and has a special liking for small objects and luxury ornaments popular in Europe and America. Her two courtiers, De Ling and Rong Ling, are talented women who returned from France. Under their guidance, Empress Dowager Cixi did better in this respect.

Empress Dowager Cixi is keen on photography. It is not nonsense to say that she promoted the development of photography in China. Photography was originally regarded by China people as a "devious skill" of foreigners, which can capture people's souls and mostly avoid it. 1885, Prince Chun, the father of Emperor Guangxu, presented photos of himself inviting Germans to Xingke to take pictures of him to Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress dowager cixi is eager to try after reading it. After seeing her photos for the first time, she couldn't help loving photography. In order to take photos, it is announced that a tent will be set up in front of the Le Shou Hall in the Summer Palace, with the set screen as the lining, and the hall will be decorated with luxurious furnishings according to the style.

Before taking pictures, Cixi first looked through the almanac and chose a good day. When shooting, I often take a few shots in a row for easy selection. As soon as she finished filming, she rushed to develop and enlarge, and sometimes she had to sneak a look at the photos before they were developed in the medicine. Empress Dowager Cixi left many photos and portraits of her entertainment life, and hung her attendants in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace before her seventieth birthday (1904) for collection and reward to ministers. These photos later flowed to the people and became precious historical archives.

Empress Dowager Cixi also likes to listen to others play the piano. In the showroom of the Summer Palace, there is a piano presented by foreigners. From 1903, De Ling, the daughter of Yu Geng, the Qing ambassador to France, lived with Empress Dowager Cixi for two years. She used this piano to play foreign piano music for Empress Dowager Cixi more than once.

There was a huge phonograph in the bedroom of Empress Dowager Cixi, which was a gift from foreign countries in the late Qing Dynasty. The phonograph is driven by a clockwork. When it is full of strings, it can move the small string hammer freely to form a pleasant melody. The phonograph also stored waltzes and other famous Chinese and foreign songs for Empress Dowager Cixi to enjoy.

Cixi is very interested in western dance. One day, Cixi asked De Ling, "What's wrong with dancing? I heard that they were dancing hand in hand in the room. If it is true, I find it boring. Will you jump up and down with men? " When Cixi said dancing, she meant ballroom dancing. Then she said to deling, "I want to see you dance." Can you dance? " So Cixi ordered the record player to be moved to the main hall, chose an Austrian waltz, and asked De Ling and her sister Rong Ling to dance. After the performance, Cixi commented happily: "This is a beautiful dance." He asked again, "Don't you feel dizzy if you keep turning around like this?"

Empress Dowager Cixi admired the fashionable fashions in Paris very much, and she couldn't put it down for18th century French high-heeled shoes. She asked the female officer in charge of the command, De Ling, to wear Parisian dresses and high heels every day, so that she could see the fashionable clothes of the French. She also imitated the custom of western ladies and kept a pug for fun. Her cosmetics include Paris perfume and powder, as well as French gold-plated mirrors and Japanese small dressing tables.