Imperial Family of China

[Duchois]

Hello!

A friend of mine, who is a young french aristocrat claims that his grand mother is a descendant of the imperial family of China. She was given to a french aristocrat family as she was still a baby. As prooth, there is mostly a toy that appears on a lot of photographs of the imperial family, and that she now has. I can't remember the details, but does someone has already heard of such a story?

[Cory]

Photos with the nowadays Head of the Imperial Family?

[Kasumi]

The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, which premiered at the Royal Ontario Museum on June 26, showcases one of the most significant archaeological finds in history. - Epoch Times
The Globe and Mail
Xinhua.net
Metro
Heritage Key
Huffington Post

[Kasumi]

Emperor Qin Shi Huang - The Epoch Times article

[Kasumi]

People dressed in the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911) royal costumes play "Bingxi," or ice game, on a frozen lake in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, Jan 26, 2011.
The game, dating back 1,000 years, became a regular sports activity in the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was regularly performed for emperors.- Xinhua

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by Cory

Photos with the nowadays Head of the Imperial Family?

Which one Imperial family do you mean?
There are the descendants of Ming, Qing and Aisin-Gioro Emperors' alive (male and female). No one of them claims the Imperial throne of China.

[Kasumi]

The Emperor's private paradise: Treasures from Forbidden City - Culture Kiosque

[Kasumi]

Currently showing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City showcases about 90 works of art created for the emperor Qianlong (1736-95), a man whose desire to unify "all under heaven" is clearly noted in the extravagance of this loan exhibition organized by the Peabody Essex Museum. - China Daily

[Kavebear]

I think every Chinese is descendant of an emperor. I am the descendant of Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han (aka Liu Bei), who in turn is descendant of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, through my mother. Her family has a family shrine with a list of all their ancestors over 3000 years of history. I could also say I was the descendant of a shoemaker and a bandit since Liu Bei was a shoemaker and his ancestor Liu Bang was a bandit.

[Kasumi]

Protect ancient tomb - GlobalTimes
The family tomb of an ancient princess during Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) will come under the protection of the local government, according to the cultural relics bureau in North China's Hebei Province, where the ruins are located.
The tomb of Princess Yuelie, the daughter of Yuan founder Kublai Khan, is located in Guyuan county and is believed to be the only royal tomb from the Yuan Dynasty ever discovered in China, a bureau spokesman said.

Isn't it Princess Yuelie who is the ancestor of HM The Queen of UK and of HRH the Princess Michael?

[norenxaq]

every chinese?
while it is true that most clans claim descent from an emperor, one needs to separate clan history/mythology from recorded events relating to the people in the clan history

yuelie as ancestor to the british royal family?
what, if anything do you know about this lineage?

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by norenxaq

yuelie as ancestor to the british royal family?
what, if anything do you know about this lineage?

Actually, I'm not sure about the personal name of the Chinese princess. Was it 'Yuelie'?
Nevertheless, HM the Queen and Princess Michael both have an interesting ancestry, including daughter of the Chinese Emperor Su Tsung of Tang dynasty.
I believe TRF has a certain thread about this lineage. Sorry, I can't find the thread right now.

[norenxaq]

the tang princess was ningguo, there was a thread here about that started by me

[Kasumi]

Secret garden of Beijing's Forbidden City revealed - CNN.com

[ortiz]

I really like this tribute to the last Empress, she was so beautiful

YouTube - ‪The Last Empress‬‏

[to.toro]

She still is if I may say so.

And speaking of, does anyone have information or photos of Gobulo Yuan Rong, her father, or her mother?

Also, what is her mother's name? I've only seen it listed as Aisin Gioro Yuchang.

[Cory]

Where is the tomb of the last Empress?

[Kasumi]

Lifting the veil
Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is steeped in history, dreams and tears, which are perfectly reflected in Ah! The Forbidden City.
Li Shaobai's photos and Jiang Guofang's paintings, in the book published in English by the Foreign Languages Press, are both easy on the eye and provide food for thought.

[Kasumi]

China's reluctant Emperor
The Emperor Wan Li was the longest-reigning monarch of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an era considered by some historians to have been one of the most prosperous in human history.
Ensconced in the Forbidden City, he lived a coddled life, doted on by his mother, waited upon by legions of eunuchs and served by multitudes of women, among them his empress (whom he married at 14), a principal consort, associate consorts and hosts of ordinary concubines. But despite all this — or perhaps because of it — Wan Li was not a happy monarch.

[David V]

One thing I've been intrigued is whether it's possible that direct descendants of previous royal houses are still around today. Also remember that while the name China was used for many years, the term "dynasty" refers not merely to the royal line but to the name of the state- "China" wasn't officially used until the foundation of the Republic of China, and the only person to use the title "Emperor of China" was Yuan Shikai. So "Ming Empire", "Qing Empire", etc were official names of the state formations.

Is it possible that there are verifiable living descendants of the imperial familes of Tang (House of Li), Song (House of Zhao) and Ming (House of Zhu) among others?