Events during the reign of Emperor Xuantong

Abdication

After the Xinhai Revolution, China's civil war between the north and the south broke out, and on February 12, 1912, in accordance with the Nineteen Letters of Faith, the Empress Dowager Longyu, together with the six-year-old Emperor Xuantong, Puyi, held the last imperial meeting of the Qing dynasty at the Qianqing Palace to decide on the issue of the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor, for which Puyi was forced to abdicate. After the Empress Dowager Longyu stamped the pincer jewel, this abdication edict was then finally released on the Tiananmen Square Citadel, notifying the world of the abdication. After puyi abdicated, the republican government and the qing room consultation, retained many of the favorable conditions for the royal family, promised to pay the qing room costs 4 million taels of silver yuan per year. And agreed that Puyi temporarily live in the Forbidden City, in order to protect the security of the Forbidden City, the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China government consultation, decided to send the National Revolutionary Army Army Division 16 under the Second Infantry Regiment to protect the Emperor Xuantong who temporarily resided in the palace, and the predecessor of this National Revolutionary Army Army Division 16 is the Qing Dynasty government in 1908 by Zai Feng to create the forbidden guards, the forbidden guards mastered the power of the Ministry of War of the Puyi's seven uncles The minister Zaitao.

Restoration

On June 14, 1917, Zhang Xun, a former Qing courtier, led 4,000 troops of the Dingwu Army to Beijing under the pretext of mediating between the State Council, represented by Duan Qirui, and the Presidential Office, represented by Li Yuanhong, and drove Li Yuanhong out of power; on July 01, Zhang Xun mutinied, and Xuanhuang was restored to the throne.

Restoration of Puyi in the Qianqing Palace

Appointment of Zhang Xun, Wang Shizhen, Chen Baochen, Liang Dunyan, etc. for the Cabinet of Ministers, Wan Rope style, Hu Siwon for the Cabinet of Ministers, Liang Dunyan, Wang Shizhen, Zhang Zhenfang, Lei Zhenchun, Sa Zhenbing, Zhu Jiabao, Zhan Tianyou, Shen Zeng Zhi, Lao Naixuan, Li Shengduo, Gongsang Norbu for foreign affairs, staff, Dushi, army, navy, civil affairs, postal service, transmission, science, law, agriculture, industry and commerce, and the government of the People's Republic of China. , learning, law, agriculture, industry and commerce, and the Ministry of the clan ministers, Xu Shichang, Kang Youwei for the Bute House of the President and Vice President, but also appointed ministers of the Shangshu and governors.

July 03 Duan Qirui sent troops to crusade, 12th, Zhang Xun fled into the Dutch Embassy, the next day Puyi announced a second abdication, only 11 days sitting in the Dragon Chair and off the stage.

During the restoration there was a **** and airplanes dropped small bombs over the Forbidden City, bombed the Forbidden City in the east of the six palaces among the Yanxi Palace, so that the building at the time of mild damage. This is considered to be the first air raid bombing in East Asia.

Marriage

In 1922, Puyi married a queen and a concubine. The empress was Wanrong and the consort was Wenxiu.

In the Forbidden City, Puyi either read and recited poetry, painted and played the piano, or pinched clay figures, raised dogs and deer, and sometimes went outside the palace to ride in the automobile and stroll the streets.

Leaving the palace

November 05, 1924, the warlord Feng Yuxiang ignored the conditions of preferential treatment, sent Deer Zhonglin with troops into the Forbidden City, forcing Puyi to leave the palace and a large number of palace property, history calls this "Beijing Incident". Puyi moved into the north mansion (Zai Feng's residence), and then fled into the Japanese Embassy. In February of the next year, moved to the Tianjin Concession, Zhang Yuan and Jingyuan, and the Qing dynasty, as well as Zhang Zuolin, Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu and other contacts.

Puyi was forced to the Palace, Japan's major newspapers have published articles sympathetic to Puyi, for the future establishment of the pseudo-Manchukuo momentum, ironically, the Eight-Power Allied Forces when the largest number of troops sent to fight the hardest is Japan. Soon after, was escorted by the Japanese to Tianjin. in November 1931, with the help of the Japanese commander of the cantonment army submerged in Lushun, soon to Fengtian.

Puppet

After the September 18th Incident in 1931, he fled from Tianjin to Manchuria with the help of Japanese general Kenji Doihara and others.

On March 01, 1932, Japan supported Puyi to establish the pseudo-Manchukuo in the Manchurian region. the Japan-Manchuria Protocol was signed with Japan in September 1932, in which the Japanese government formally recognized the pseudo-Manchukuo, which acknowledged Japan's special interests in Manchuria.

Puyi from March 01, 1932 to February 28, 1934 as the pseudo-Manchukuo ruler, the establishment of the year for the "Datong".

Time magazine on Puyi

In 1934 in the Japanese pseudo-army under the auspices of the state for the pseudo-"Manchurian Empire", renamed "Emperor", changed the year for the "Kantoku". ". March 01 ascended the throne. "Kangde" is the Kangxi and Qing Dezong Guangxu abbreviation, intended to commemorate, and sent the wish to inherit the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. Puyi was also the Marshal of the Pseudo-Manchurian Empire and the Honorary President of the Pseudo-Manchurian Empire Council. The four northeastern provinces were built as Japan's home territory, and this opportunity made the puppet regime ostensibly become the "No. 1 economic power in Asia," seemingly richer than China's Guannei. Puyi in the pseudo-royal period, due to the pseudo-Manchuria rich mineral resources for the Japanese invaders love, developed under occupation. Although the pseudo-Manchukuo GDP world's fourth, Asia's first, but the fundamental lifeline in the hands of the Japanese occupier Kwantung Army. Puyi was twice featured in Time magazine as a political figure in Asia at the time, notably in the magazine's portrait of the "four men who solved the crisis in the Far East".

Jailed

In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and attacked the pseudo-Manchurian state, the pseudo-Manchurian regime was overthrown. on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, Puyi promulgated the "abdication edict". After preparing to leave for Japan, he was captured by the Soviet Red Army in the waiting room of Fengtian Airport together with soldiers of the Japanese Kwantung Army. He was imprisoned in the Soviet Union for 5 years. During his five years of house arrest, he went to the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) in Tokyo, Japan, to testify about the crimes of the Japanese rulers in China.

War criminals

On August 19, 1945, Puyi was waiting for the plane at Shenyang Dongta airport, ready to leave for Japan, for the Soviet Red Army airborne arrest, stayed in Tongliao until August 20. August 21, Puyi was a double-engine Duglas to the Soviet Union, Chita No. 1 military airfield, and was imprisoned in the Molokovka No. 30 special prison until the beginning of November. Later, he was detained at the Special Prison No. 45 in Buri until the spring of 1946. However, the favorable treatment he received in the detention center caused Puyi to write to the Soviet Union several times to express his willingness to stay in the USSR permanently and to request membership in the Soviet ****productivity party, but there is also speculation that it is possible that Puyi was afraid of being held accountable in the future, and therefore applied for permanent residence. While in Soviet custody, he appeared as a witness before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. In his testimony, he claimed that during his term as Emperor of Manchukuo, he was completely at the mercy of the Japanese occupation authorities, with no personal freedom and no corresponding power and dignity as the head of Manchukuo, and that he was coerced into Inner Manchuria by the Japanese Kwantung Army. However, was handed over to the Chinese people's government, Puyi admitted that due to the fear of later by the Chinese government, when testifying part of the responsibility shifted to the Japanese side (including how to get to Inner Manchuria), in part related to the responsibility of both sides have reservations.

August 01, 1950, Puyi and other Manchukuo 263 "war criminals," in Suifenhe by the Soviet government handed over to the Chinese government, sent to the Fushun War Prison to be about ten years of ideological re-education and labor reform.

Amnesty

November 15, 1956, Mao Zedong spoke at the Second Plenary Session of the Eighth Plenary Session of the ****, further published his "On the Ten Relationships" of the basic point of view, clearly put forward Puyi and others are "big Chiang Kai-shek", the way they deal with them can only be a gradual transformation, and not simple. The way to deal with them can only be a gradual reform, not a simple execution. He said: "Those great crimes

Chairman Mao Zedong and Puyi

Extremely powerful and shabby gentry, bullies, counter-revolutionary, you say kill or not kill ah? We have to kill them. What we killed were the little 'Chiang Kai-shek'. As for the 'big Chiang Kai-shek', such as Emperor Xuantong, Wang Yaowu, Du Yuming and those people, we do not kill one. But if we don't kill the 'little Chiang Kai-shek', there will be 'earthquakes' under our feet every day, and we will not be able to liberate the productive forces or the working people. Therefore, the counter-revolutionary must be killed a number of people, and in addition raised a number of people, control a number of people."

From then on, Puyi spent three years in the Fushun War Prisoners Administration Center. During this time, he seriously reform, or in the northeast around the tour, or concentrate on writing the first half of the autobiography, or in the high walls of the infirmary as well as in front of the house to participate in light labor, in the wind and rain in the reform of life, Puyi doubly warm, he took the prison as his home.

In the summer of 1959, in Beijing, the central meeting, Mao Zedong listened to the "Nationalist war criminals and pseudo-Manchurian war criminals learning reform situation" report was very satisfied, and then studied the treatment of these war criminals. Afterwards, Mao Zedong, on behalf of the Central Committee, submitted a proposal to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, proposing that, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, an amnesty be declared for war criminals, counter-revolutionary criminals and ordinary criminals who had really changed their ways and had done good.

Puyi's visit to Japan

Puyi's visit to Japan

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On September 17, 1959, the Ninth Session of the Standing Committee of the Second National People's Congress adopted a decision on amnesty for criminals who had indeed reformed from evil to good, based on Mao's proposal. Subsequently, Liu Shaoqi issued the Decree on Amnesty for the Chinese People*** and the State.

Amnesty means release from prison without prosecution. For these two words, Puyi was as excited and exhilarated by them as anyone else, savoring Mao's advice and playing with the almost incomprehensible generosity and magnanimity that overflowed between the lines. He wrote this in a manuscript: "Amnesty, who proposed it? It was the Central Committee of the ****production party. Who was it that suggested the amnesty? Is it the "lackeys" who committed heinous crimes against the people in the past and massacred countless Kuomintang members and revolutionaries?

The emperor was an accomplice in the Japanese imperialist invasion of China. And Chairman Mao, his wife, two brothers and a sister, was killed by the Kuomintang, and his son sacrificed in the U.S. imperialism's crazy war of aggression against North Korea ......"

However, on the first batch of amnesties, Puyi did not report much hope, he said: "There is no one can not have me, my sins are serious, on the performance of me is not better than others. I am not enough amnesty conditions." Not only Puyi inferiority complex, other people's views are similar, all think that only the official small, small sins, may be the first to be amnestied.

On the morning of December 4, 1959, the first amnesty conference for war criminals at the Fushun Prisoners of War Administration was held. A representative of the Liaoning Provincial Higher People's Court read the notification to the amnestied persons. Puyi could not have imagined, "Chinese People's **** and State Supreme People's Court amnesty notice - 1959 annual amnesty word 001". Puyi also wrote in "my first half of life" "not wait to hear, I have cried out in pain. The motherland, my motherland ah, you made me into a human being! ......"

Reunion

Puyi and Wanrong

December 4, 1959, Puyi was amnestied. He saw with his own eyes: the second sister had already founded a street nursery, the second sister's husband worked as an engineer in the post and telecommunications department; the third sister and her husband were attending the District Political Consultative Conference; the fourth sister worked in the archives department of the Forbidden City; the sixth sister and her husband were a pair of painters; the seventh sister and her husband were educators; and the fourth brother was an elementary school teacher.

Of course, Puyi was able to get along with his younger brothers and sisters and went through a process. At a symposium attended by Premier Zhou, Zaitao, Puyi and his younger brothers and sisters were also invited to attend. Premier Zhou saw Zaitao and Puyi's several sisters sitting together, while Puyi is sitting alone on one side, then joked: "well, you still take him as the emperor ah?" Zaitao hurriedly summoned everyone to sit together with Puyi. During the conversation, Premier Zhou especially praised the seven sisters who had just attended the Great Hall of the People, but at the same time, he also said, "Puyi has just made progress, you have to help him. A family should strive for the advanced and help the backward. There are always advanced and backward. This is also the case in your family. The backward ones should learn from the advanced ones, and the advanced ones should regard helping the backward ones as their own business." From the conversation, the seventh sister realized Premier Zhou's deep feelings and expectations. She changed her original preconceptions and resolved to help her elder brother progress together.

Puyi

Zaitao gladly introduced the third generation of the family to Puyi. In Zaitao's home, Puyi saw with his own eyes, more than a dozen red scarves embraced the seventh uncle's house inside and outside. Among his children and nephews, some have become young people, into the great torrent of building socialism, they have workers, cadres, doctors, nurses, teachers, car drivers, and for the motherland to make meritorious achievements of the heroic soldiers of the volunteer army. Among them, some joined the advanced ranks of the ****production party, ****Youth League. Puyi also met some of the old people in the family, they are under the care of the party and the government, living a stable, beautiful life, and some of them have been invited to be the representatives of the local regime, to participate in the negotiation of the party and the country's major events.

In March 1960, Puyi was assigned to work in the Beijing Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and in 1961 he was transferred to the Research Committee on Literature and Historical Materials of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as a commissioner of information, and in 1964 he became a member of the fourth committee of the CPPCC. Puyi was married four times in his life, to five women, and his last marriage was to Li Shuxian in 1962. Puyi authored an autobiography, My First Half of Life, which was published in April 1964 by the Mass Publishing House. His unique and dramatic experiences have been adapted into film and television many times, including the movie "The Last Emperor," which won many awards, including the 1987 Academy Award.

The Last Wedding

On April 30, 1962, the hall of the Culture Club in Nanheyan was filled with joy as a couple was to be married there. The groom was once the last emperor Puyi, and the bride was Li Shuxian, a nurse at the Chaowai Guanzhang Hospital. Comrades from the United Front Work Department, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, as well as Puyi's family, colleagues more than a hundred people attended the wedding of Puyi. Puyi wearing a straight suit, solemnly picked up the speech prepared in advance, delivered a long speech. Puyi said, the reason why the wedding is held on this day, because the next day is the festival of the working people.

Puyi and his wife Li Shuxian

In this way, the last marriage of the last emperor began. In fact, Puyi had long wanted to find a partner and start a new life. There were not a few people who took the initiative to introduce him to a partner. Even Mao Zedong is also very concerned about his personal problems, in the reception of Puyi Mao Zedong wryly asked: "You have not married, right? The 'Emperor' can't live without a maiden, you can remarry!" But find a suitable partner for Puyi is not easy. Just returned to Beijing three months, the seventh uncle Zaitao introduced him to a Miss Zhang. The lady was dressed in fashion, and enthusiastically invited Puyi to dance and smoke. But when Puyi learned that her father had been a servant in the House of the Prince of alcohol, and had been greatly favored by the emperor, their relationship came to an abrupt end.

Wanrong has a cousin known as the king of the big girl, has been high not low, until the age of 50 or single. At this time, she was also interested in Puyi, and invited him to dinner, and dating, so Puyi is not tired. A past attendant wanted to "climb the dragon and phoenix" to marry their daughters to Puyi, was also rejected by Puyi. He said: "They want to marry the 'emperor', not me, the ordinary people."

We can see, with the Qing aristocrats on the side of Puyi is not at all, he is looking for a new society of new women. 1962 January, he wrote in a letter to a friend: these days, many people looking for objects for me. Counting on my fingers, I have already said seven or eight objects, but I haven't looked favorably on them yet. When I said the object, must tell you. Visible, Puyi want to find a suitable object, is not an easy thing. Coincidentally, this day, the same as the Commissioner of literature and history Zhou Zhenqiang took a photo to the office, said the People's Publishing House editor Sha Zengxi asked him to introduce the woman in the photo of an object, the woman in the photo is Li Shuxian. Looked at the photo Puyi is very interested, when he learned that Li Shuxian or a nurse, it is more satisfied. A few days later, in Zhou Zhenqiang and Sha Zengxi's introduction, Puyi and Li Shuxian met.

In her later years, Li Shuxian recalled to Jia Yinghua, who used to be her neighbor, that she was shocked to hear that the person she was introduced to by Lao Sha was a "little Xuantong". She did not intend to see, but under the repeated persuasion of Lao Sha, she went with a tentative mentality.

Collective Emperor

"I am a 'collective emperor' like the rest of the Chinese people."

1964 was the happiest year for Puyi. This year, his book "the first half of my life" after a few deletions finally published; he took his wife to participate in the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference organized a tour to see the results of the construction of the new China's founding ten years; more importantly, he became a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. December 30, 1964, Puyi holding a red cover printed with gold characters of the certificate of attendance, appeared in the hall of the Fourth Session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. This is the first time he attended the meeting as a member of the CPPCC National Committee. At the meeting, Puyi made a speech, through the existing speech can be seen his excitement overflowing. He said: "Today, I can as a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC to speak here, the mood is very excited ...... There are many foreign journalists visit me, they feel that people like me, can exist in the new China, is a miracle. Not only do they survive, but they live well, which further baffles them. Such miracles do occur in our society: the transformation of war criminals into new people.

On Nov. 26, 1960, he solemnly put on the Zhongshan suit he wore only when meeting with foreign guests and wept with emotion as he cast his ballot with his colleagues.

Afterwards, he wrote:

On November 26, 1960, I got the voter's card with "Aisin Gioro Puyi" written on it, and I felt that it was not as valuable as all the treasures I had ever had. I put my ballot into the red ballot box, and at that moment I felt that I was the richest man in the world. Together with my 650 million compatriots in China, I became the master of this 9.6 million square kilometers of land.

Puyi at the Fushun Prisoners of War Administration Center

Puyi **** took part in the election three times after being granted amnesty, the third time being shortly after he was discharged from the hospital after a nephrectomy. On that occasion, Puyi dragged his sick body in the company of Li Shuxian, together with the neighbors to listen to the person in charge of the street on the candidate's situation. After the introduction, Puyi also grabbed the speech. To Li Shuxian's surprise, just out of the hospital Puyi, that time to speak in a surprisingly loud voice. A few days later, Puyi and Li Shuxian took part in the voting in the nearby South Playground Elementary School. Li Shuxian remembered, waiting in line to vote, Puyi always with a solemn look. Look at his weak appearance, Li Shuxian had wanted to talk to the front and back of the queue of old neighbors to insert a queue, but Puyi in any case refused. Until the ballots were solemnly cast into the ballot box, he returned home with the help of Li Shuxian.

Ordinary people seem ordinary right to vote, but Puyi extraordinarily cherish. Only he himself knows what this thin ballot means to him, it represents the new society for his recognition as a national citizen.

Puyi's own words :

"I have been emperor four times. The first time was at the age of three when I inherited the throne from my ancestors. The second time was in 1917, when Zhang Xun was restored in Beijing and embraced me as emperor for ten days. The third time was in 1932, when the Japanese raised me to the throne of the pseudo-Manchukuo in the northeast, a scene that ended in 1945. The fourth time I became emperor was the year before last. I became a citizen of the People's Republic of China*** and the State of China, and gained the full right to vote and to be elected. Now I am a 'collective emperor' like the rest of the Chinese people."

Death

Puyi's monument in Dandong

In 1967, Puyi fell ill with uremia. Upon hearing the news, Premier Zhou Enlai personally called and instructed the CPPCC staff to make sure Puyi was cured. After directing him to the capital hospital for Chinese and Western medicine consultation. In the most critical condition, Premier Zhou and assigned the famous old Chinese medicine Pu Fu Zhou to see him, and convey Premier Zhou's greetings to him, and then due to medical failure, died at 2:30 am on October 17, 1967 morning.

Puyi's body cremated in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China **** and the State, ashes placed in the Beijing Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. 1995, his widow Li Shuxian buried his ashes in the Royal Mausoleum of Hualong, Yixian County, Hebei Province, 120 kilometers southwest of Beijing, Puyi's tomb in the vicinity of the Qing West Mausoleum.