Zhi Ming and Ci Xi are two influential figures in modern world history. One is the Emperor of Japan, and the other is the "Empress Dowager" of the Qing Dynasty. As the actual rulers of the two empires, the lives of the two men were completely different, and they could be said to be two extremes. Cixi was fond of pleasure and lived a luxurious life, while Emperor Meiji lived a simple and even shabby life.
Japan is a small country with weak people, so Emperor Meiji is not as wealthy as Cixi, and Japan’s finances are far less wealthy than those of the Qing Dynasty. In order to save money to buy a warship, the Emperor of Japan only ate one meal a day, which consisted of porridge, wild vegetables, rice balls, and dried salted fish. For a king of a country, Emperor Meiji's life can no longer be described as shabby, it is simply begging for food. However, although Meiji was hungry, he spent all the money he saved on buying warships!
Compared with the stingy Emperor Meiji, Cixi’s life can no longer be described as luxurious. But in terms of eating, Cixi was not as good as Emperor Meiji. Cixi had a total of 120 dishes in a meal, and she would not miss a single dish. Of course, she couldn't eat that much food. She ate only two or three bites of each dish and gave the rest to the servants or the dogs. Cixi never had to eat by herself. As long as she is a palace maid or eunuch, she will be given chopsticks to bring the dishes to her mouth. All she had to do was open her mouth.
Cixi's dishes were very exquisite, and they were all delicacies from the mountains and seas, including bird's nest, shark's fin, bear's paw, deer antlers, and even tiger bone soup, which were all delicacies on her table. The dish "Tiger gallbladder in clear soup" involves catching a wild Siberian tiger. If Cixi had lived a few more decades, it is estimated that the Siberian tiger would have become extinct early. Even the small stinky tofu has to be made in "Wang Zhihe Nan Sauce Garden", which is rare in ancient and modern times.
According to reports, Cixi’s “Western Restaurant” can cook more than 4,000 dishes and 400 kinds of snacks. New products are released every day, so you can’t get enough every day. She is very picky about eating watermelon. She only eats the middle part of the fruit, one bite at a time, and can eat more than 200 watermelons a day. Of course, eating watermelon is nothing. The most consumed item in the palace is apples. It is said that Cixi could use 158,000 apples a year. She didn't use the apple to eat it, just to smell the fruit.
Cixi lived like a rich man. I wonder how Emperor Meiji, who only ate pickles once a day, felt after knowing this?