After becoming a concubine for Emperor Xianfeng at the age of 16, Cixi rose to power when he died and her young son inherited the throne. She governed China from behind a screen for more than 45 years, and eventually sealed the fate of the Qing Dynasty.
Learn more about advertising on the HowStuffWorks podcasts at www.howstuffworks.com/advertisers.htm
And to learn about your ad choices when listening to podcasts, visit
https://www.howstuffworks.com/privacy.htm#ad-choices
