Qing emperor from 1875 to 1908, nephew of the Empress Dowager 慈禧. He backed the 1898 Hundred Days' Reform, 戊戌变法; after she ended it he lived under house arrest until his death.
Guāngxù nián jiān Zhōngguó jīnglì le Jiǎwǔ zhànzhēng.
During the Guangxu era, China went through the First Sino-Japanese War.
Tips
usage
光绪, 'continuing the splendour', is a reign title, so Qing records date 1898 as 光绪二十四年 (Guangxu 24). That year is 戊戌 in the sixty-year cycle, which is how the reform got its name.
culture
Modern forensic tests on his hair in 2008 confirmed lethal levels of arsenic, backing the long-standing suspicion that he was poisoned. The episode remains a staple of late-Qing TV dramas and a symbol of reform stifled by palace politics.
