Kuang-hsü (1871-1908) was an emperor of China whose reign was marked by progressive national humiliations. In 1898 he attempted to stay the dynastic decline by sponsoring a series of reforms but failed because of the interference of the empress dowager Tz'u-hsi.

The name Kuang-hsü was the reign title of Tsai-t'ien. He was the ninth emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty, the grandson of Emperor Tao-Kuang (reigned 1821-1851) and the son of Prince I-huan.

The overriding influence in Kuang-hsü's tragic life was the empress dowager Tz'u-hsi. During the reign of her own son, the emperor T'ung-chih, she had effectively controlled the reins of government. When T'ung-chih died on Jan. 12, 1875, she was determined to perpetuate her power. Her solution to this problem was to select Kuang-huü, her nephew and a cousin of T'ung-chih, as the new emperor. It was, however, a gross violation of the dynastic laws...