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''Sigh of His Highness'' is a Chinese historical television series based on the life of Prince Gong, an influential Manchu prince and statesman of the late Qing dynasty. The series was directed by Li Wenlong and starred Chen Baoguo as Prince Gong. It was first broadcast on Sichuan TV in China in 2006. ==Plot== The series is set in the late Qing dynasty. Prince Gong is a younger half-brother of the Xianfeng Emperor, but their relationship is not strong because they were once rivals over the succession to their father's throne. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, as the British and French close in on Beijing, the Xianfeng Emperor flees to the Chengde Summer Palace in Hebei and orders Prince Gong to stay behind in the capital, Beijing, to make peace with the enemy. After enduring humiliation and manoeuvring his way through complex negotiations, Prince Gong signs the Convention of Beijing on behalf of the Qing Empire with the British, French and Russians. For his achievement, he not only improves his political standing in the Qing imperial court, but also earns the respect of the foreigners. The Xianfeng Emperor dies in the following year and is succeeded by his young son, the Tongzhi Emperor, who is assisted by the senior minister Sushun and seven other regents. In November 1861, with the aid of the Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an, Prince Gong launches the Xinyou Coup and succeeds in ousting Sushun and the regents from power. In the next four years, Prince Gong reaches the pinnacle of his political career as he is appointed Prince-Regent and placed in charge of important state and military affairs, including control over the Grand Council. He also has the opportunity to take the throne but refrains from doing so. He spearheads the Self-Strengthening Movement and introduces new policies in his attempts to modernise China and maintain friendly relations with other countries. Over the years, however, Prince Gong's relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi deteriorates as he becomes more romantically involved with Sushun's foster daughter and as he distances himself from Cixi. At the same time, the Empress Dowager's position in the imperial court gradually becomes more prominent, especially when she becomes the ''de facto'' ruler of the Qing Empire following the death of her son, the Tongzhi Emperor. The Guangxu Emperor, who succeeded the Tongzhi Emperor, is merely a puppet under the Empress Dowager's control. Prince Gong's standing in the imperial court declines as Empress Dowager Cixi becomes increasingly distrustful of him and gradually reduces his political power by removing him from key appointments. In 1885, Prince Gong falls from grace after shouldering the blame for the Grand Council's indecisiveness on whether to fight or make peace during the Sino-French War. As a consequence, Empress Dowager Cixi relieves him from his duties and forces him to go into retirement. In 1894, following the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, Prince Gong is recalled to the imperial court to deal with the crisis but, despite his efforts, he fails to prevent yet another Qing defeat. He eventually dies of illness four years later. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sigh of His Highness」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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