Empress Dowager Cixi vs Wu Zetian

Cixi supported the Self-Strengthening Movement, which modernized China's military and infrastructure. Arsenals, shipyards, and railways were built, and the Tongwen Guan language school was established. However, the movement avoided political reform, limiting its effectiveness.

Cixi, with Prince Gong, staged a coup against the eight regents appointed by the dying Xianfeng Emperor. She had the regents arrested and executed, establishing herself as co-regent for the young Tongzhi Emperor. This began her effective control over the Qing government.

Cixi staged a coup to end the Hundred Days' Reform, a series of modernization edicts by the Guangxu Emperor. She imprisoned the emperor, executed six reform leaders, and rescinded most reforms. This reversed political liberalization and strengthened conservative forces.

Cixi declared war on eight foreign powers after the Boxers besieged foreign legations in Beijing. The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded, defeated Qing forces, and occupied Beijing. Cixi fled to Xi'an. The resulting Boxer Protocol imposed heavy reparations and further weakened the Qing.

After the Boxer Rebellion, Cixi initiated the Late Qing Reforms, including abolition of the civil service examination, establishment of modern schools, and military modernization. These reforms aimed to strengthen the dynasty but came too late to prevent its collapse.

Wu Zetian was elevated from concubine to empress consort of Emperor Gaozong of Tang in 655. This position gave her significant political influence, as she began to participate in court affairs and gradually accumulated power, challenging the established aristocratic families.

After Emperor Gaozong's death in 683, Wu Zetian became regent for her son, Emperor Zhongzong. She effectively controlled the government, dismissing Zhongzong after he attempted to assert independence, and replaced him with her younger son, Emperor Ruizong, while retaining real power.

Wu Zetian proclaimed herself emperor, founding the Zhou dynasty and becoming the only female emperor in Chinese history. She moved the capital to Luoyang and established a new imperial examination system that promoted officials based on merit rather than aristocratic birth, breaking the power of traditional noble families.

Wu Zetian ordered military campaigns that reasserted Chinese control over the Western Regions, including the Tarim Basin and parts of modern Xinjiang. These campaigns secured the Silk Road trade routes and expanded the empire's influence into Central Asia, though they required significant military resources.

Wu Zetian elevated Buddhism to a state-supported religion, commissioning the construction of temples and statues, including the Longmen Grottoes' giant Vairocana Buddha. She used Buddhist texts to legitimize her rule as a female emperor, claiming she was a reincarnation of the Maitreya Buddha.

In 705, a coup led by court officials and generals forced Wu Zetian to abdicate in favor of her son, Emperor Zhongzong, restoring the Tang dynasty. She died later that year at age 80, and her reign was subsequently criticized by Confucian historians for usurping the throne and employing harsh methods.