''The Empress Dowager'' is a 1975 Hong Kong historical film directed by

Li Han-hsiang Richard Li Han-hsiang (; 7 March 1926 in Huludao, Jinxi, Liaoning – 17 December 1996 in Beijing) was a Chinese film director. Li directed more than 70 films in his career beginning in the 1950s and lasting till the 1990s. His ''The Enchanting ...

and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring Lisa Lu as Empress Dowager Cixi.

Plot

Although the Empress Dowager Tzu-hsi of the

Ching Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

had promised her nephew, Emperor Kuang-hsu that he had complete autonomy, he found that this was not the case as he attempted to exert his authority over corrupt

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

s and officials who undermined him with the backing of the Empress Dowager. Young, inexperienced and without a strong cadre of loyal officials to support him, he tries to juggle affairs both public and private. His loveless marriage to Empress Chin Feng and dislike of the Empress further leaves him all the more bereft of any power lever. His only bright spark in a cold gloomy palace was his love for Concubine Chen and a young eunuch who wholeheartedly supports him.

Cast

* Lisa Lu as Empress Dowager Tzu-hsi * Ti Lung as Emperor Kuang-hsu *Siu Yiu as

Consort Zhen Imperial Noble Consort Keshun (27 February 1876 – 15 August 1900), of the Manchu Bordered Red Banner Tatara clan, was a consort of the Guangxu Emperor. She was five years his junior. She was known to foreigners as the Pearl Concubine. Legend h ...

* Miao Tien as Eunuch Li Lien-ying *

David Chiang use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

as Eunuch Ko Lien-tsai * Ivy Ling Po as Empress Chin Feng * as Li Chieh *Chen Ping as

Consort Jin Consort Jin may refer to: Imperial consorts with the surname Jin * Jin Yueguang ( 315) and Jin Yuehua ( 315–318), two of Liu Cong's later empresses * Empress Jin (Yin) ( 318), wife of the Han Zhao emperor Liu Can * Jin Feishan (died 926), wife of ...

*Shum Lo as Eunuch Wang Shang *

Cheung Ying Cheung Ying () (January 25, 1919 – December 14, 1984) was a Cantonese actor, writer and director from Hong Kong. He was born to a Fujian family. His father brought him to Hong Kong when he was young. His father was a founder of Fok Hing Chu Cho ...

as Tutor Weng Tung-ho *

Ku Feng Chan Sze-man (born 3 July 1930), better known by his stage name Ku Feng, is a Hong Kong actor. Background He studied in Beijing, and has appeared in hundreds of films, many of which were produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers ( ...

as Lord

Li Hung-chang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

*Hao Li-jen as

Prince Kung Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceKung or Gong, was an imperial prince of the Aisin Gioro clan and an important statesman of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. He was a regent of the empire from 1861 to ...

*Lee Pang-fei as Prince Shun *Cheng Miu as Official Yung Lu *Yeung Chi-hing as Official Hsu Tung *Wang Hsieh as Official Kang Li *Chiang Nan as Official Tai Yi * Ching Miao as Ronglu *Tin Ching as Cheng Yueh Lou *

Ouyang Sha-fei Qian Shunying ( zh, t=錢舜英, w=Chien Shun-ying; September 9, 1924 – March 8, 2010), better known by her stage name Ouyang Sha-fei ( zh, t=歐陽莎菲, s=欧阳莎菲, first=t, j=Auyeung Sa-fay, links=no), was a Hong Kong actress. She is ...

as concubine *Law Bing-ching as Kiang governor's daughter *Chan Si-gai as Kiang governor's daughter *Wong San as court official *Liu Wai as court official *Wang Han-chen as court official *Kong Yeung as court official *Wong Ching-ho as eunuch in charge of conjugal record *Tung Wai as eunuch *Chan Mei-hua as lady in waiting *Lau Nga-ying as lady in waiting *Ofelia Yau as lady in waiting *Yuen Man-tzu as lady in waiting *Ling Hon as court official *Gam Yam as court official *Kwan Yan as court official *Fuk Yan-cheng as court official *Lui Hung as lady in waiting *Yeung Kei as lady in waiting *On Ching-man *Lau Wai-ling *So Chan *

Shum Shuk-yee Shum may refer to: Surnames * Shum (surname), a surname in various cultures (including a list of people with the name) ** Cen (surname) (岑), sometimes romanized Shum in Cantonese ** Shen (surname) (沈), sometimes romanized Shum in Cantonese ...

*Woo Hei-hung *Lee Hing-kwan *Got Heung-ting

Awards

*1975 Golden Horse Awards **Best Actress: Lisa Lu **Best Supporting Actress: Ivy Ling Po

External links

* *
HK cinemagic entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empress Dowager, The Hong Kong films 1975 films Films based on actual events 1970s Mandarin-language films Shaw Brothers Studio films Films directed by Li Han-hsiang Films set in 19th-century Qing dynasty Monarchy in fiction Cultural depictions of Empress Dowager Cixi

Plot

Cast

Awards

See also

External links