Why is Empress Dowager Cixi buried in the east of Ding Dong Mausoleum and in the west?

Cixi became Empress Dowager Cixi because she gave birth to Zai Chun, the only son of Emperor Xianfeng. After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, the throne can only be inherited by Prince Zai Chun. Cixi, as Zai Chun's biological mother, was naturally upgraded to the Queen Mother of Notre Dame, and Ci 'an Palace was called the Queen Mother, and she listened to politics.

Although both Cixi and Ci 'an were Empress Dowager Cixi, the political power was controlled by Cixi, and the Tongzhi emperor was also born by Cixi. However, according to the feudal legislation at that time, Ci 'an was the first mother of Tongzhi and had a higher status than Cixi.

But Cixi was ambitious and could not tolerate Ci 'an riding on her head. In 188 1 year, Cixi died in Ci 'an. After her death, she wanted to lower the level of Ci 'an, but she was opposed by the Qing faction represented by Weng Tonghe and had to give up.

It is rumored that Cixi hoped that the mausoleum would be located at the eastern end of Dongling, so she suggested playing chess with Ci 'an to bet that whoever wins would choose the location of the mausoleum first. As a result, Ci 'an lost to Cixi at chess, and Cixi chose the tomb at the eastern end of Dongling and the tomb of Ci 'an at the western end of Dongling.

Another way of saying it is that Cixi dreamed that she was killed by Ci 'an. Ci 'an buried her in the west of Dingling in Qing Dynasty. After waking up, she was upset. She didn't want to be buried in Lingxi after death, so she insisted on being buried in Lingdong after death.

Guangxu 1895, the second year after the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War, Cixi overhauled Dongling in the name of disrepair and need of repair. She spent a lot of money repairing the tomb at the eastern end of Dongling, and stuffed a lot of gold and silver jewelry in the tomb, trying to crush Ci 'an after her death.

Ci 'an is called Empress Dowager Cixi because the Zhong Cui Palace where she lived before her death is located in the east of the Forbidden City. Cixi is called the Queen of the West because Palace of Gathered Elegance and Changchun Palace, where she lived before her death, are located in the west of the Forbidden City.