Question

What were Dowager Empress Cixi’s accomplishments during her reign? Check all that apply.

She served as the regent for her five-year-old son.
She controlled the Qing Dynasty for forty-seven years.
She modernized the Chinese military.
She put down the Boxer Rebellion.
She established the Open Door policy.

Answer 1

Correct answers:
- She served as the regent for her five-year-old son. — True. (When the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, Cixi became a co-regent for the young Tongzhi Emperor.)
- She controlled the Qing Dynasty for forty-seven years. — True. (She was the dominant political figure from 1861 until her death in 1908 — commonly cited as 47 years.)

Not true / not accurate as accomplishments:
- She modernized the Chinese military. — False (or at best only partially true). There were limited “self-strengthening” reforms and some modernization efforts, but the military remained weak and performed poorly in several wars.
- She put down the Boxer Rebellion. — False. The Boxers were suppressed by the foreign Eight‑Nation Alliance; Cixi initially backed the Boxers and fled Beijing during the invasion.
- She established the Open Door policy. — False. The Open Door policy was an American diplomatic proposal (John Hay, 1899), not something Cixi established.