Kuang-hsu

Kuang-hsu or Kwang-hsü (gwäng shü), 1871–1908, emperor of China (1875–1908). Although he was not in the direct line of succession, he was appointed to the throne by his aunt, the dowager empress and regent, Tz'u Hsi. He began his rule in 1889. In 1898, during the "hundred days of reform," he rebelled against her domination and issued many decrees modernizing the political and social structure of China. His aunt thereupon resumed the regency and kept him imprisoned for the remainder of his life while she ruled China in a conservative manner.