Unveiling the secrets to the ageless beauty of Empress Dowager Cixi.

Not only was Empress Dowager Cixi one of the most powerful women in Chinese history, but she was also renowned for her remarkably youthful appearance. Historical records state,The maidservant recounted that Empress Dowager Cixi's skin at the age of 60 was still "soft and smooth like a young girl's."

Katharine Carl, the first artist to paint a portrait of the Queen Mother, described her as: "She was 70 years old but looked only 30." In addition, cAt the end of the Qing dynasty,The average life expectancy for Chinese people is only about 50 years, but Empress Dowager Cixi lived to the age of 74.

So what was the secret to Empress Dowager Cixi's youthful beauty and long life? Share it with us.Women of China, professorZhang Jingchun from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, who specializes in researching the medical records of the Qing Dynasty, points out the following five key points.

Eat a varied diet

Empress Dowager Cixi ate many healthy foods such as honey, walnuts, and sesame oil. She also regularly supplemented her diet with ginseng to boost her energy and combat fatigue.

Another food item that Empress Dowager Cixi included in her diet was snow frog's ovary membrane, the mucous membrane inside the female snow frog's ovary. This special food contains many hormones that promote protein synthesis, which helps improve the immune system, especially for menopausal women.

Liver care and menstrual regulation

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the liver greatly influences women's health. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi regularly drank rose tea and chrysanthemum tea with mulberry leaves, with the aim of both protecting the liver and regulating the menstrual cycle.

Hair care

Empress Dowager Cixi's hair once fell out excessively and became dry and brittle. Imperial physicians believed she had weak kidneys and prescribed remedies for kidney disease, while also having her use various herbal hair washes and sprays.

Scientific timetable

Throughout her life, Empress Dowager Cixi followed almost exclusively a fixed schedule. She would wake up at 5-6 am and have breakfast at 7 am. At 10:30 am, Cixi would have lunch and then rest from 11 am to 1 pm.

Tea time was at 2 PM. Then, precisely at 5 PM, the Empress Dowager had dinner. After about an hour, Cixi took a bath and went to bed around 9 or 10 PM. No matter what problems she faced, the Empress Dowager always fell asleep easily.

Empress Dowager Cixi's lifestyle followed the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Specifically, traditional medicine advises people to sleep during the Hour of the Rat (11 PM - 1 AM), have breakfast during the Hour of the Dragon (7 AM - 9 AM), take a nap during the Hour of the Horse (11 AM - 1 PM), and work during the Hour of the Monkey (3 PM - 5 PM).

Open-minded

No matter how busy she was, Empress Dowager Cixi always made time for leisure. She was a fan of Peking opera and frequently introduced Western culture to the Forbidden City through food, photography, and telephones.A positive attitude towards life and a curiosity about new things seem to have contributed significantly to Empress Dowager Cixi's long and healthy life.