Imperial Family of China

[Chubb Fuddler]

I don't know if the family of the last Great Qing Emperor can really lay claim to Imperial China. The Great Qing clearly lost the Mandate of Heaven in 1912, and if the previous 2000 years of dynastic cycles were anything to go by, the Imperial Throne was up for grabs. And grabbed it was by the first President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, when he became the Hóngxiàn Emperor of China in December 1915. His accession was even approved by the Great Qing Emperor, still living as a foreign monarch in Beijing. The new Emperor's reign lasted only until March 1916, when the republic was restored. If he had held onto power he could have claimed the Mandate of Heaven, and China might have been getting ready to celebrate the centenary of the Dynasty later this year.

Mao Zedong could easily have claimed the Mandate of Heaven (if it wasn't such a contradiction to communism), and it seems he did see himself as a modern day Emperor. A communist Chinese Emperor? I suppose it is only about as ridiculous as the so-called communism of China today.

Mao, who killed millions, called himself "Emperor... and Marx in one", his former secretary reveals

'As soon as we enter Beijing,' he said cheerfully, 'I'll be an emperor, won't I?'

[Cory]

Which is the behavious of the members of the Family towards the communist regime?

[Chubb Fuddler]

According to his "autobiography", the last Great Qing Emperor became a true communist, a defender of the revolution, and loyal supporter of Chairman Mao. He acknowledged that as Great Qing Emperor, and Emperor of Manchukuo, he had been an enemy of the people. But he was just being used again, a curious relic of some value for propaganda purposes. He spent his entire life as a powerless symbol in someone else's regime: the decaying Great Qing Court, the Japanese Empire, and, finally, the People's Republic of China. When I read his so-called autobiography, I found him a particularly unlikable character. More reliable biographies also paint the picture of a weak, selfish and easily manipulated man, which is hardly surprising given his early life. But I will give him this, he was one hell of a survivor.

[Cory]

What about the present members of the Family?

[Chubb Fuddler]

From the few bits and pieces I've read over the years, I get the impression that the more prominent members of the family who remained were loyal supporters of the People's Republic of China. But if they wanted to live, that was probably the most sensible thing to do, so who knows how genuine their "conversions" were. Even now, with Communism an empty ideology, it is probably better for the next generation to keep a low profile.

On my first visit to China in 1993 there was very little mention of the last Great Qing Emperor at the Imperial Palace Museum, let alone outside its walls. In 2007 a new English edition of From Emperor to Citizen was available at the Imperial Palace Museum Gift Shop, along with a set of postcards of the Grand Dowager Empress Ci Xi. On my most recent trip in 2012 there were all sorts of souvenirs available with images of the last Great Qing Emperor, from expensive china plates to t-shirts. I spotted the Emperor's face on souvenirs in Shanghai, Xian and even as far away as Lhasa and Shigatse in Tibet. Now in death, as in life, he is being used again.

The worst thing, however, was a A shop near the Gate of Supreme Harmony. It's called "Fly Over the Forbidden City". You dress up as the Emperor or Empress and are filmed pretending to fly. This is then superimposed over aerial footage of the Imperial Palace, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. I couldn't believe the poor old Imperial Palace was reduced to such ignominious tackiness. So much for the Communist ideology embraced by various members of the former Great Qing Dynasty.

[Lee-Z]

I don't think this has been posted yet:

In 1905 dutch painter Hubert Vos got an assignment to paint a portrait of the empress Cixi. A couple of years ago a documentary was made about his journey and experiences in China while painting the portrait.
story about the documentary

translation

Found a link to the documentary itself, although i'm not sure if it works as it should
http://www.npo.nl/avro-close-up-hube...8/AVRO_1311513
it's in dutch though, don't know if a subtitled version is available..

(oh, and in my humble opinion, the imperial dynasties of China deserve their own subforum and not just one thread uner "other non-reigning houses" )

[Chubb Fuddler]

If everything had gone to plan in 1916, China might have been celebrating the centenary of the monarchy founded by China's second president, General Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai reigned as the Hóngxiàn Emperor for about 80 days before he gave up his imperial ambitions in March 1916. He seriously underestimated his chances of success, and didn't quite appreciate how China had fundamentally changed since 1912 when the Dowager Empress Longyu proclaimed the abdication of the six-year-old Great Qing Emperor, and established a republic. For thousands of years weak dynasties, having lost the Mandate of Heaven, gave way to a new dynasty, which by coming to power proved it now had the Mandate of Heaven. But not any more. After his short reign, Yuan Shikai reverted to his old position as President of the Republic, and died a few moths later.

Had the Great Hóngxiàn Emperor of the Empire of China succeeded, his great-grandson Yuan Ji Yan, a painter, would today be Emperor of China. Interestingly, Yuan Shikai was the only Chinese emperor to ever use the title Emperor of China. The name of the country in Chinese was always the name of the reigning dynasty, so the title of the emperor was the Great Qing Emperor of the Great Qing Empire, Great Ming Emperor of the Great Ming Empire, Great Qin Emperor of the Great Qin Emperor etc. etc. depending on the dynasty.

Yuan Family

[An Ard Ri]

The end of Imperial China

The end of imperial China | History Today

[An Ard Ri]

Wu Chao: Woman Emperor of China

Wu Chao: Woman Emperor of China | History Today

[Sun Lion]

"The Palaces"/"The Old Palaces" of Beijing - known to the West as the Forbidden City.

Some photos I took earlier this year.

[An Ard Ri]

November 15th,1908 : The Death of Dowager Empress Tzu-hsi

The Death of Empress Tzu-hsi | History Today

[Prisma]

Qing Dynasty Harem System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlCtb_7zGeg

[yukari]

Wu Zhao, commonly known as Wu Zetian, was the only female monarch in the history of China.

She was the de facto ruler of China, first through her husband the Emperor Gaozong and then through her sons the Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong, from 665 to 690. She subsequently became empress regnant of the Zhou dynasty (周) of China, ruling from 690 to 705.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Zetian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-vW7xlGq8

[Blog Real]

Aisin-Gioro Puyi (February 7, 1906 – October 17, 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi, was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on February 12, 1912 during the Xinhai Revolution. His era name as Qing emperor, Xuantong (Hsuan-tung, means "proclamation of unity".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi

Photo:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ro_Puyi_01.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...-Manchukuo.jpg

[Blog Real]

Jin Yuzhang is the current head of the Imperial House of China.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Yuzhang

[Blog Real]

Jin Yuzhang (born 3 May 1942) is a Chinese civil servant, politician and former nobleman. He is the current head of the House of Aisin-Gioro, Chinese Monarchy's former ruling house.

His father was Manchu nobleman Jin Youzhi, and he is a nephew of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty of China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Yuzhang

[Blog Real]

The Empire of China was a short-lived attempt by statesman, general and president Yuan Shikai from late 1915 to early 1916 to reinstate monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor. The attempt was unsuccessful; it set back the Chinese republican cause by many years and fractured China into a period of conflict between various local warlords.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire...5%E2%80%931916)