Cixi dies at 72, capping influential Qing rule.
On November 15, 1908, Empress Dowager Cixi died at the age of 72 in Beijing, concluding nearly fifty years of significant influence over the Qing dynasty. Her death marked the end of an era characterized by her complex rule, which saw both staunch conservatism and eventual reformist initiatives intended to stabilize and transform China amid growing domestic and foreign challenges.