Search results
Puyi [c] (7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967) was the last emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh and final monarch of the Qing dynasty. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate in 1912 as a result of Xinhai Revolution at the age of six.
Puyi, last emperor (1908–1911/12) of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty (1644–1911/12) in China and puppet emperor (under the reign title of Kangde) of the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo (1934–45). He was the subject of the biopic The Last Emperor (1987). Learn more about Puyi’s life and reign.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Infant Emperor
- Abdication
- Finding A Place in The World
- Japanese Puppet
- Final Days
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Puyi became emperor in November 1908, following the death of his half-uncle, Guangxu Emperor. Aged just 2 years and 10 months, Puyi was forcibly removed from his family and taken to the Forbidden City in Beijing – the home of Imperial China’s palace and powerholders – by a procession of officials and eunuchs. Only his wet nurse was allowed to trave...
In October 1911, the army garrison in Wuhan mutinied, igniting a wider revolt which called for the removal of the Qing Dynasty. For centuries, China’s powerholders had ruled by the concept of the Mandate of Heaven – a philosophical idea comparable to the European concept of the ‘divine right to rule’ – which painted the sovereign’s absolute power a...
The teenage Puyi was given an English tutor, Sir Reginald Johnston, to teach him more about China’s place in the world, as well as to school him in English, political science, constitutional science and history. Johnston was one of the few people who had any influence over Puyi and encouraged him to widen his horizons and question his self-absorpti...
Puyi’s birthright meant he was of great interest to foreign powers: he was courted by the Chinese warlord General Zhang Zongchang, as well as Russian and Japanese powers, all of whom flattered him and promised that they could facilitate the restoration of the Qing dynasty. He and his wife, Wanrong, lived a luxurious life amongst the cosmopolitan el...
Puyi spent 10 years in a military holding facility and underwent something of an epiphany in this period: he had to learn to do basic tasks for the first time and finally realised the true damage done by the Japanese in his name, learning about the horrors of the war and Japanese atrocities. He was released from prison to live a simple life in Beij...
Learn about Puyi, the infant emperor who ruled China for less than four years before being forced to abdicate in 1912. Discover how he became a pawn of foreign powers, a puppet of the Japanese and a prisoner of the communists.
- Sarah Roller
- Puyi was the only emperor to be enthroned 3 times. Puyi was the last emperor three times, but was not in power even for a day! Puyi was "the puppet emperor".
- Puyi's abdication was the end of imperial China. 2,133 years of Chinese imperial history were ended by Puyi's mother's note. Empress Dowager Longyu endorsed the abdication on 12 February 1912, handing over power to Yuan Shikai's Republican army.
- Puyi was the first emperor to learn English and wear suits because... ... Puyi had an English tutor. In 1919, Scotsman Johnston was invited to the Forbidden City as Puyi's teacher of English, mathematics, geography, world history, etc.
- Puyi was captured by the USSR and served 10 years in prison in China as a war criminal. In 1945, the Soviet Union attacked Manchukuo and captured Puyi at the airport as he tried to flee to Japan.
Aug 14, 2019 · Learn about the life and fate of Puyi, the last emperor of China, who ruled from 1908 to 1912 and was later a puppet of Japan and a prisoner of the communists. Discover how he went from being a child emperor to a humble gardener under Mao's regime.
- Kallie Szczepanski
Oct 14, 2020 · Known during his four-year reign (1908-1912) as Xuantong Emperor, Puyi (1906-1967) was China’s last emperor and also the last ruler of the Qing dynasty. After China’s most radical political transformation of the 20th century – i.e. the Chinese Revolution in 1912 – Puyi was forced to abdicate his throne.
Learn about the tragic fate of Puyi, the last emperor of China's Qing dynasty, who was forced to abdicate, exiled, and brainwashed by the Communists. Discover how he became a street sweeper in Beijing after his imprisonment and how he died in 1967.
