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HONG KONG: EMPRESS DOWAGER CIXI EXHIBITION OPENS

Cantonese/Nat

An exhibition on the Empress Dowager Cixi of China's Qing Dynasty has opened in Hong Kong.

The empress went from being a low-ranking concubine to the power behind the throne, becoming one of the most powerful women in Chinese history.

With only nine months to go before Britain returns Hong Kong to China, the Chinese government seems keen to teach its soon-to-be citizens a bit of Chinese history.

More than 90 items once belonging to China's Empress Dowager Cixi went on display in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The exhibits have been brought to the territory courtesy of the Palace Museum of Beijing.

In a place where there is much Western influence, the Chinese government seems keen to bring a bit of Chinese cultural heritage to the people of Hong Kong.

The exhibition gives visitors a close and personal look at the life of the empress, including her pursuit of health and beauty.

But aside from portraying a leading Chinese historical figure, the exhibition is also an example of how mainland China is subtly trying to imbue Hong Kongers with a more nationalistic consciousness.

Chinese officials preside over such cultural exchanges, and for a fairly modest event, local media coverage is heavy.

The curator of the Beijing museum believes it's important for Chinese people to come together.

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
Hong Kong will return to China in 1997 and residents in Hong Kong need to better their knowledge in Chinese history. Our director thought we should introduce the characteristics of the royal families so that people in Hong Kong would be able to have a better understanding of traditional Chinese culture.
SUPER CAPTION: Pei Huan-Lu, Director of the Palace Museum of China

As the de factor ruler of the country, Empress Cixi ruled the Qing Dynasty for almost half a century both in public and behind the scenes, after her five year-old son ascended to the throne.

Cixi did little to defend China when the country was attacked by foreign powers during the Qing Dynasty, which historians say weakened the empire.

She also spent a lot of money building the royal palace, which further damaged China's economy.

The dynasty was eventually brought to an end by the Communists in 19-49.

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
During her rule, she signed a number of unequal treaties with several foreign forces. She ceded our land with large sums of reparations, causing great damage to China's economy at the time.
SUPER CAPTION: Pei Huan-Lu, Director of the Palace Museum of China

But not everything Empress Cixi did was negative.

She did make some contributions to the country, one of them bieng her influence on style.

The empress suffered from severe hair loss, and so designed a number of elaborate pieces of headgear.

The designs eventually became fashionable among ladies in Chinese high society.

Binding the feet also became popular during the Qing Dynasty.

A woman was seen as wealthy if her feet were bound because it meant she didn't have to work in the fields.

The centre of women's lips were also painted red during the Qing Dynasty, as a symbol of elegance.

Whatever the opinions about the fashions of the time, the exhibition will no doubt serve to increase the understanding of Chinese history in Hong Kong before the territory is handed back to China next year.


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1920s Film of China: Camel Back Bridge or Yù Dài Qiáo in Kunming Lake Summer Palace

Rare footage taken by American tourists in China in the late 1920's. Here they continue their visit at the Late Empress Dowager Cixi's Summer Palace near Beijing. The Empress ruled from 1861-1908, and spent much of her life overseeing the building of the palace and grounds. This video shows scenes of a lake and famous bridge near the palace, along with views of the palace itself.

Hebei | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Hebei


00:01:27 1 History
00:07:41 2 Geography
00:08:58 2.1 Climate
00:09:33 3 Administrative divisions
00:10:16 3.1 Urban areas
00:10:25 4 Politics
00:10:58 5 Economy
00:12:41 5.1 Economic and technological development zones
00:12:58 6 Demographics
00:14:17 6.1 Religion
00:16:26 7 Culture
00:18:11 8 Notable individuals
00:18:47 9 Media
00:18:59 10 Transportation
00:21:11 11 Tourism
00:23:32 12 Sports
00:24:06 13 Education
00:27:18 14 See also



Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
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Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Hebei (河北; formerly romanised as Hopeh) is a province of China in the North China region. The modern province was established in 1911 as Zhili Province or Chihli Province. Its one-character abbreviation is 冀 (Jì), named after Ji Province, a Han dynasty province (zhou) that included what is now southern Hebei. The name Hebei literally means north of the river, referring to its location entirely to the north of the Yellow River.The modern province Chili Province was formed in 1911 after the central government dissolved the central governed area of Chihli, which means Directly Ruled (by the Imperial Court) until it was renamed as Hebei in 1928.
Beijing and Tianjin Municipalities, which border each other, were carved out of Hebei. The province borders Liaoning to the northeast, Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, and Shandong to the southeast. Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea is to the east. A small part of Hebei, Sanhe Exclave, consisting of Sanhe, Dachang Hui Autonomous County, and Xianghe County, an exclave disjointed from the rest of the province, is wedged between the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin.
A common alternate name for Hebei is Yānzhào (燕趙), after the state of Yan and state of Zhao that existed here during the Warring States period of early Chinese history.

Hebei | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:



00:01:44 1 History
00:07:56 2 Geography
00:09:16 2.1 Climate
00:09:51 3 Administrative divisions
00:10:42 3.1 Urban areas
00:10:51 4 Politics
00:11:25 5 Economy
00:13:09 5.1 Economic and technological development zones
00:13:25 6 Demographics
00:14:44 6.1 Religion
00:16:52 7 Culture
00:18:36 8 Notable individuals
00:19:12 9 Media
00:19:24 10 Transportation
00:21:36 11 Tourism
00:23:56 12 Sports
00:24:30 13 Education
00:27:41 14 See also



Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:

Other Wikipedia audio articles at:

Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:

Speaking Rate: 0.9550108284721958
Voice name: en-GB-Wavenet-B


I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates


SUMMARY
=======
Hebei (河北; alternately Hopeh) is a province of China in the North China region. The modern province was established in 1911 as Chihli Province (Zhili Province). Its capital and largest city is Shijiazhuang. Its one-character abbreviation is 冀 (Jì), named after Ji Province, a Han dynasty province (zhou) that included what is now southern Hebei. The name Hebei literally means north of the river, referring to its location entirely to the north of the Yellow River.The modern province Chili Province was formed in 1911, when the central government dissolved the central governed area of Chihli, which means Directly Ruled (by the Imperial Court) until it was renamed as Hebei in 1928. A common alternate name for Hebei is Yānzhào (燕趙), after the state of Yan and state of Zhao that existed here during the Warring States period of early Chinese history.
Beijing and Tianjin Municipalities, which border each other, were carved out of Hebei. The province borders Liaoning to the northeast, Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, and Shandong to the southeast. Bohai Bay of the Bohai Sea is to the east. A small part of Hebei, Sanhe Exclave, consisting of Sanhe, Dachang Hui Autonomous County, and Xianghe County, an exclave disjointed from the rest of the province, is wedged between the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin.
With a population of over 74 million people, Hebei is China's sixth most populous province. The Han majority comprise 96% of the population, followed by a minority of Manchu, Hui and Mongol peoples.