The poisoned palace

Exactly 100 years after his death, it has finally been confirmed that Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) was a victim of arsenic poisoning, though the murderer remains a mystery.

The finding has been revealed by a research team in Beijing, based on a five-year study of the emperor's remains and the conditions inside and outside his tomb. The investigators included the Western Qing Imperial Tombs (Qing Xi Ling) administrators, China Institute of Atomic Energy and forensic science experts from Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Emperor Guangxu was the penultimate emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) but throughout his rule he was completely manipulated by the Empress Dowager Cixi. He died at the age of 37 on Nov 14, 1908, and 74-year-old Cixi passed away the next day, fueling decades of debate over Guangxu's death.