Dowager Empress (Cixi) essay layout?

You are being asked a question about the decline of Imperial China. A good starting point would be the Opium Wars of 1840 and 1862, and what are called the Unequal Treaties. You should consider the expansion of European enclaves, extra-territoriality and "most favoured nation" status. You should also look at the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion. It was a process of loss of Chinese power to the imperial powers (mostly European, but including Japan and the US).