I. Introduction

This section highlights the significance of the silk motif in W.G. Sebald's *The Rings of Saturn*, exploring how it connects individual destinies with grand historical events. Through the narrator's journey along the English east coast, Sebald evokes associations between Eastern and Western historical events and individual fates, with the silk theme serving as a thread linking disparate narratives. Scholars generally recognize the silk motif as a crucial element in the book, yet there has been insufficient attention to its connection with late Qing Dynasty Chinese history. Chapter Six of *The Rings of Saturn* delves into late Qing history, weaving together individual destinies and historical events through variations of the silk theme, revealing the rise and fall of China's late imperial dynasty and the vicissitudes of individual lives.

II. Silkworms: Conservative Rulers and Exploited Masses

This section examines Empress Dowager Cixi's admiration for silkworms and its symbolic meaning in Sebald's *The Rings of Saturn*. Cixi regarded silkworms as ideal subjects, and her rule over them symbolized the traditional feudal political system, contrasting with Emperor Guangxu's reformist intentions. Her fondness for silkworms stemmed from her idealized vision of the populace—diligent, loyal, and laboring until death. To Cixi, silkworms represented the perfect model of the ruled, embodying serfdom and unpaid servitude. Her extravagant expenditures demonstrated her transcendent status, while silkworms symbolized the masses forced to live under the ruler's shadow. Ultimately, Cixi herself became mere dust in the torrent of history, her life as fleeting as that of a silkworm.

III. Traditional Chinese Silk Textiles: The Rise and Fall of Power

This section explores the symbolic significance of traditional Chinese silk textiles in *The Rings of Saturn* and their role in late Qing history. It notes that Western scholars often overlook the importance of these textiles in the late Qing period. Chapter Six details how imperial dragon robes, Nanjing brocade, and white silk played pivotal roles in key historical moments of the Qing rulers' ascent and decline, serving as witnesses to the dynasty's fortunes. The dragon robe, a symbol of imperial authority, had strict regulations regarding its yellow color and dragon motifs. During the Taiping Rebellion, Hong Xiuquan reformed dress codes but ultimately embraced dragon culture, decreeing that only the Heavenly King could wear yellow satin robes embroidered with nine dragons. Hong's corpse was wrapped in a dragon-patterned silk robe, reflecting Sebald's balanced assessment—praising the rebels for challenging feudal monarchy while noting their failure due to an inability to break free from feudal autocracy. The looting of the Old Summer Palace by British and French forces, who plundered silk treasures, was not merely a theft of royal wealth but also a cultural invasion, symbolizing the decline of Qing rule. The fate of Nanjing brocade was closely tied to the Qing Dynasty's fortunes, and its use in Emperor Xianfeng's funeral hinted at imperial decay. Empress Dowager Cixi's use of white silk to execute the disempowered during the Xinyou Coup symbolized brutal political struggles and the Qing government's crisis. Through these textiles' roles in power struggles, Sebald examines the relativity of civilization and barbarism, asserting that history belongs not only to rulers but also to the weak and the defeated.

IV. Conclusion

This section discusses how Sebald, in *The Rings of Saturn*, employs variations of the silk motif—such as silk textiles and silkworms—to symbolize historical events and individual destinies in late Qing China. Dragon robes, Nanjing brocade, and white silk served as instruments of power or burial accompaniments for the fallen in events like the Taiping Rebellion, Emperor Xianfeng's funeral, and the Xinyou Coup. Silkworms symbolized Cixi's exploitation of the masses and her conservative stance, contrasting with Emperor Guangxu's preference for trains, reflecting the conflicts of the Hundred Days' Reform that led to the decline of Qing imperial authority and national crisis. Through the silk theme, Sebald tightly intertwines the fate of the late Qing Dynasty with individual destinies, paying homage to [Hebbel].