The 11th emperor of the Qing dynasty, corresponding to the 9th Qing emperor to rule over China proper. In 1875, he ascended the throne at a young age following the death of the Tongzhi Emperor, initially under the guardianship of Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi. He began his personal rule in 1889, but after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, he appointed reformists such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, promoting the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898 aimed at modernizing politics, education, and the military. However, due to opposition from conservatives like Cixi, the reforms failed, and the Guangxu Emperor was imprisoned, losing his actual political power. During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, he left Beijing and fled to Xi'an. He passed away in 1908, the day before the death of Empress Dowager Cixi, and is known as an emperor who symbolized the reforms and power struggles of the late Qing dynasty.

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