Regency and Reform: The Cabinet of the Empress Dowager Cixi, 1861

The year is 1861—three centuries since the rise of the Qing Dynasty, but mere decades from its fall. Following the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, Empress Dowager Cixi defied tradition and seized power through the daring “Widow’s Coup.” Now, as the de facto ruler of a fractured empire, she faces the impossible task of saving China from collapse.

The Qing court is paralyzed. Centuries of bureaucracy have rotted under the weight of corruption and inefficiency. Once-mighty institutions are hollow, and officials prioritize self-preservation over governance. Economically, the empire is stagnating, strained by war indemnities and declining productivity.

Foreign pressure grows. The Second Opium War has just ended, and Western powers impose humiliating privileges under unequal treaties. Missionaries, merchants, and gunboats push deeper into China, threatening sovereignty and tradition. The court must modernize—militarily, industrially, and politically—without surrendering to Western domination. And from within, the empire bleeds. The Taiping Rebellion scorches the South, while secret societies and local warlords rise as central authority fades. Cixi’s Cabinet must act swiftly.

As members of Cixi’s newly formed Cabinet, delegates must shape the path forward. Can China modernize without Westernizing? Can stability be restored before the empire shatters completely? The fate of the Qing—and of China itself—rests in your hands.