Pu Yi
Pu Yi - The Last Emperor of China
Young Boy Crowned Emperor in Beijing 's Forbidden City
While on her deathbed the Empress Dowager Cixi chose the infant boy Pu Yi to be China 's next emperor. In December 1908 he ascended the throne.
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His early years were spent inside the walls of the Forbidden City where he was cared for by consorts of previous emperors. Uncontrollable as a child, he often ordered the eunuchs who served him to be beaten for minor offences. Shortly after the revolution of 1911 China became a republic and this put an end to imperial power. The young Pu Yi was forced to abdicate the throne in February 1912. Over the next fifty years China 's political scene was dominated by warlords, rebellions, war with Japan and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. These events profoundly shaped Pu Yi 's life. Here is his story.
Pu Yi 's Youth and Education
The young emperor received lessons in classical subjects like poetry but learned next to nothing about geography, science and mathematics. The Manchu people wanted him back on the throne and it was thought at the time that the best way to do this was to expose him to western thought and educational influences. A senior official from the British Colonial Office named Reginald Fleming Johnston became Pu Yi 's tutor. Over the next few years Pu Yi developed a fascination with all things western. He picked an English name — Henry. He stuck with it for the rest of his life.
Eviction from the Forbidden City
Pu Yi had no choice but to leave the Forbidden City in November 1924. Forced out by Feng Yuxiang, a warlord who had schemed to take control of Peking for himself, Pu Yi packed his belongings and with a small entourage fled to Tientsin, which is the modern port city of Tianjin. While living in the Japanese concession of that city he lived a life of decadence. Full of imperious airs, he schemed and plotted to get back on the throne.
Pu Yi and the Japanese from 1931–1945
Japan
Young Boy Crowned Emperor in Beijing 's Forbidden City
While on her deathbed the Empress Dowager Cixi chose the infant boy Pu Yi to be China 's next emperor. In December 1908 he ascended the throne.
[pic][pic][pic][pic]
His early years were spent inside the walls of the Forbidden City where he was cared for by consorts of previous emperors. Uncontrollable as a child, he often ordered the eunuchs who served him to be beaten for minor offences. Shortly after the revolution of 1911 China became a republic and this put an end to imperial power. The young Pu Yi was forced to abdicate the throne in February 1912. Over the next fifty years China 's political scene was dominated by warlords, rebellions, war with Japan and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. These events profoundly shaped Pu Yi 's life. Here is his story.
Pu Yi 's Youth and Education
The young emperor received lessons in classical subjects like poetry but learned next to nothing about geography, science and mathematics. The Manchu people wanted him back on the throne and it was thought at the time that the best way to do this was to expose him to western thought and educational influences. A senior official from the British Colonial Office named Reginald Fleming Johnston became Pu Yi 's tutor. Over the next few years Pu Yi developed a fascination with all things western. He picked an English name — Henry. He stuck with it for the rest of his life.
Eviction from the Forbidden City
Pu Yi had no choice but to leave the Forbidden City in November 1924. Forced out by Feng Yuxiang, a warlord who had schemed to take control of Peking for himself, Pu Yi packed his belongings and with a small entourage fled to Tientsin, which is the modern port city of Tianjin. While living in the Japanese concession of that city he lived a life of decadence. Full of imperious airs, he schemed and plotted to get back on the throne.
Pu Yi and the Japanese from 1931–1945
Japan
References: From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi by Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, Foreign Languages Press, Bilingual Edition 2002 The Last Emperor by Edward Behr, Bantam Books, 1977 Kids Who Rule: The Remarkable Lives of Five Child Monarchs by Edward Cotter, Annick Press, 2007 The Last Emperor 's Humble Occupation by Hannah Beech, Time Magazine, Asian edition, September 27, 1999