Imperial Family of China

[norenxaq]

tang and song, possibly. ming, less likely as many of them were killed by the qing. however, I did see a claim of one such possible ming descendant. his lineage was never provided, however

[David V]

That would make a good genealogical project- find the possible claimants of those houses, and even of the Ten Kingdoms (like the Qian of Wuyue).

[StoneCold]

Wu Zetian (624 - 705 AD) | Royal Insight

The First and only Female Emperor of China

[to.toro]

Originally Posted by Cory

Where is the tomb of the last Empress?

The is a monument to her in the western qing tombs that was placed there by her brother Runqi. Her body is buried somewhere in Yanji.

The attached is a photo of her monument.

[Kasumi]

Emperor Wang Mang: China's First Socialist? | Past Imperfect
Wang Mang, first and last emperor of China's Xin Dynasty, went down fighting amid his harem girls as his palace fell in 23 A.D.

[Kasumi]

Where the last emperor last ruled, in name only|Life|chinadaily.com.cn
When you walk through the corridors in Changchun's Museum of the Imperial Palace of the Manchu State, you can almost feel what was eating away at the young man who was - by birth - thrust into the storms of history.
The architecture in this 137,000-square-meter compound is a hybrid of traditional Chinese and Western, with a tinge of Japanese thrown in. It replaces the grandeur and apathy of the Forbidden City with something more homey and manageable.
[...]
The origin of the Changchun palace was a building with indoor plumbing - a rarity at the time - that belonged to a government office overseeing salt sales. The Japanese started constructing more after Puyi moved in.
But he was vigilant.
He refused to move into Tongde Building after it was completed in 1938 because he suspected it was tapped.
Like the Forbidden City, the Changchun palace was divided into an inner court and an outer court. The formal room for receiving foreign dignitaries was rarely used, as Manchukuo was recognized only by Japan and the Axis countries.
A banquet hall was converted into a small theater where documentary films about the war were the regular feature. Puyi had the strange habit of neither wanting to be alone nor being seen by others while watching movies. So others had to arrive and depart with the light switched off.
Puyi's favorite room, it is recorded, is a room inside Tongde Building where he gathered his royal relatives in celebration of traditional holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the later years of his so-called rule, he started training some students in sharp shooting - in the corridor.
In the residential part of the compound is a small garden with rockeries and a pond. It would pale next to any of Suzhou's gardens.
What stands out is a brand new locomotive, which must be a replica, as the track used to run straight into the compound. The stable and horse track have also been reclaimed or rebuilt.
On the compound's edge is a new building dedicated to preserving the history of Japanese aggression and atrocities in Northeast China. It is free to the public.

photo slideshow

[Kasumi]

No excavation for mysterious tomb near Qinshihuang Mausoleum - People's Daily Online
A mysterious tomb suspected of belonging to the last emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC) will not be excavated until thorough studies are conducted for subsequent protection plans, according to China's cultural heritage authorities.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) has rejected a proposal to unearth the suspected resting place of Ziying, the grandson of Ying Zheng, or Emperor Qinshihuang (259 BC - 210 BC), the first person to unify China.
Sources with the cultural heritage bureau of Shaanxi Province told Xinhua on Sunday that SACH refused Shaanxi's proposal mainly because the tomb is too close to the famous Qinshihuang Mausoleum.
The tomb, discovered in 2003, lies about 500 meters northwest of the Qinshihuang Mausoleum -- a site authorities have banned from being excavated over concerns about damage.

[James VI]

Who is the present claimant to the Imperial ( Qing ) Throne? I know that Pu Yi died without issue, though he did have a younger brother and a half-brother. Are any of their descendants still living, and if so, have any sought recognition of their claim?

[Artemisia]

Puyi died without issue, upon which his brother Pujie inheerited his claim. Since he too died without issue, his claim was inherited by the only surviving brother of Puyi, Jin Youzhi (also known as Puren). Puren's heir is his eldest son, Jin Yuzhang.
Jin Yuzhang has only one daughter, Jin Xin; since according to Imperial law, succession can only be inherited in male line, his own heir is a younger brother, Jin Yuquan.
Jin Yuquan has only one daughter as well, Kim Jun. Jin Yuquan's claim would be succeed by his own younger brother, Jin Yulan.
Jin Yulan has only one daughter as well, Jin Zhao.

Who will succeed Jin Yulan's claims remains to be seen. Presumably, the claim will be inherited by the senior male descendant of Zaitao, the younger son of Yixuan, Prince Chun (and the only one who has left male descendants). Right now, the person with most claims (after Puren's sons) appears to be Puxi, Zaitao's second youngest son born in 1924.

There used to be another pretender, Prince Yuyan, who claimed Puyi named him his successor (which Puyi was entitled to do according to the laws of the time). However, the has never been any proof of that, apart from the fact Puyi did consider such a possibility for some time. Prince Yuyan is now dead; his son Prince Hengzhen has never been named heir by Yuyan, nor did he ever claim headship of the Imperial House.

[James VI]

Thanks for that information, Artemisia. Most of the posts regarding Pu Yi`s descendants are a few years old and i thought it best to ask for any more recent developments. Of course Jin Youzhi is only a half brother of Pu Yi, though they did have the same father, and im wondering if that would have any bearing on his claim, being only " half blood " in the eyes of the law.

[Artemisia]

A lot of Chinese Emperors were succeeded by half-brothers; since most Chinese Emperors and Princes had more than one wife, it was more or less inevitable.
The status of the mother was very important though; in case of Jin Youzhi, there are no obstacles parent-wise for him to be Head of the Imperial House.

[James VI]

Yes, that is a good point. I think i was guilty of looking at the " half blood " issue, through Western eyes!! I have just dug out my old copy of Pu Yi`s memoirs, " From Emperor to citizen " it`s a fascinating read and if anyone is unfamiliar with it, i would thoroughly recommend it.

[Kavebear]

Treasure Tomb of the Warrior Queen 2/7 Fu Hao Shang Dynasty Harvard - YouTube