The Study On Xingzai(1900-1902)

In the summer of 1900,due to support from conservatives such as Prince Duan,a large number of Boxers flocked to the Gyeonggi region,and their actions of "destroying foreigners" directly ignited the Sino-foreign war.On August 15,with the influx of the Eight-Power Allied Forces into Beijing,Ci Xi,Guangxu,and some officials fled to the west to avoid misfortune.This was the second time that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty had given up the capital,because this incident occurred in the lunar year of Gengzi,It was called "Gengzi Western Hunting ",which directly leading to the birth of the temporary "court"-Xingzai(temporary lodging for an emperor on tour).It is worth noting that as early as the time when the fighting was not in progress,there was already a proposal to go west,but it was not implemented for various reasons.In addition,according to the author’s observations,the officials who accompanied the Emperor and the Empress to leave Beijing were not the same as the popular "more than a dozen ministers".Xingzai marched westward after leaving Beijing.Due to the lack of preparation,both the suite and office were extremely incomplete at the beginning.With the relocation of the route from Zhili to Shanxi,the number of accompanying officials increased,and the temporary "court" gradually improved.At the same time,the governors of the provinces headed by Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi made great efforts to solve the money and grain problems of Xingzai and ensured the foundation for survival;Xi Liang,Song Qing,Liu Guangcai,and Qi Chunyu were also effective at the Shanxi border,blocking the invasion of coalition forces and safeguarded the security of the court.In addition,in order to appease the people and consolidate the rule,Ci Xi and Guangxu issued the "self-criticized script" on August 20,which has a very complicated background behind it.After arriving in Xi’an,Xingzai entered the most stable period during the migration.Throughout the entire westbound journey,the administrative environment had not been perfect,and the Xi’an palace provided a relatively large-scale office space.Then how did Xingzai work?Regard to institutions and functions,with the gradual grading of various departments and the emergence of new departments such as the Administration Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the implementation of the New Deal,an unprecedented new situation had emerged in the setting up of the central institutions.In the end,Xingzai formed an administrative model of "mainly at the military aircraft department and supplemented by royal service agencies".In addition,Xingzai demonstrated the pattern of "blending of inside and outside" between local communities,while the relationship between it and the capital was "one on two sides." Of course,in the period of Xi’an,Ci Xi and Guangxu still did not give up their efforts to re-impose the imperial power.On February 14,1901,Xingzai issued another "self-criticized script",which is different from the purpose of "enjoying the people" for the first time,but with obvious diplomatic intentions.On October 6,1901,Xingzai left Xi’an and set foot on the way back to Beijing.For the local officials,greeting the royal family was the most difficult task.If it could be completed successfully,there would be hope for reward,otherwise,there was a danger of losing their positions.Compared with them,civilians along the way were much more fortunate to receive rewards.Through rewards and punishments,the majesty of the Qing court was reinvented.At the same time,Ci Xi and Guangxu were often praying at temples along the mountain and rivers as an important measure to reaffirm the legitimacy of the rule through the use of religious power.In short,the various actions of Xingzai on the way back to Beijing were all intended to highlight the identities of the rulers—the communicators between heaven and man.