[The picture: With foreign officials]
Allow me to make clear that the person standing on the right side of the former Emperor Pu Yi is no more that Reginald Johnston ( he played a big role in Pu Yi's life, but i assume that most of you know that). The lady in the middle is Noona Ransom (but i'm not quite sure).
I'm very glad that you (gaoshan1021 and Poppy) contributet this pictures for us to see thank you!
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The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do
-Walter Bagehot
You have just seen the movie of this particular emperor, and you gain immediate interest to this lame king. Wait till you've read the epics of Kang-xi(the 3rd Emperor of the manchu dynasty), you'll love the whole Chinese imperial history! Kang-Xi's time is one of the most magnificent time of the Ching dynasty, follow by his son Yong-Zheng and his grandson Qian-Long. It is said that during the reign of Qian-Long, the Ching dynasty is at its peak.
To many chinese, Pu-Yi is just one of the last emperors of a dynasty who cannot be of any use to either the country or his people. He is merely a puppet! He might be able to cut his long braid off to show his heart for revolution, but other than that, he is no match for the revolutionary armies' gunfire. All last emperors of dynasties ended badly, he is consider one of the luckier ones, being able to live to a ripe old age.
Five thousand years' history of imperial China, ends in the hands of Tsuh-Xi, the dowager empress, it is her that put shattered China into Pu Yi's hands. For all I can say, he is one poor guy.
Also, if you like to see the golden years of the dynasty with not many wars, then you should see the reign of Qian Long, Kang-xi's grandson.
For me, I really like all kinds of story of the Dowarger Empress, Tsuh-Xi and generally that of the Emperors' wives'. I think they're really interesting.
Hey! I'll be going to Tianjin soon. Can anyone recommend a place for me to visit that has something to do with the Imperial past since this is where Pu Yi stayed as pupper emperor? I am not sure if the Chinese government has preserved anything of their imperial past in Tianjin. Thanks!!!
Originally posted by lynn@Dec 29th, 2003 - 12:46 am Hey! I'll be going to Tianjin soon. Can anyone recommend a place for me to visit that has something to do with the Imperial past since this is where Pu Yi stayed as pupper emperor? I am not sure if the Chinese government has preserved anything of their imperial past in Tianjin. Thanks!!!
There are some very famous places, and are considered just a bit less grand than the imperial ones in Beijing. So ask your tourguide and you will certainly be taken to those places because they are famous.
The Empress Wan-Rong (1906-1946), influenced by Western ideas on monogamy, clashed with Emperor Pu-Yi's second wife, the Imperial Concubine Wen-Xiu, who had suffered the Empress's insults for 9 years. The Emperor, however, favoured the Empress, and the Imperial Concubine remained a virgin. Eventually, Concubine Wen-Xiu fled the Palace, and the Emperor reluctantly agreed a divorce. Regarding it as a deep disgrace, Pu-Yi vented his anger onto the Empress, and refused to live with her. She gradually became addicted to opium, and later became pregnant by her bodyguard. The outraged Emperor ordered her baby killed at birth (thrown into a fireplace). The Empress went insane, so he shut her in the "Cold Palace" (actually a cruel prison). No one was allowed to visit her, not even her own brother. Soon, the Empress' health declined dramatically, she fully depended on opium. With the downfall of the Imperial Dynasty, Wan-Rong was kept in the prison alone painfully until she died.
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