Puyi

Puyi, born Aisin Gioro Puyi on February 7, 1906, in the Forbidden City, was the last emperor of China. He ascended the throne as the Xuantong Emperor in 1908 at age two, during the late Qing dynasty. His reign ended with the Xinhai Revolution, and he abdicated in 1912, after which the Qing court ceased to rule, although he remained a symbolic figure in some contexts during the early Republic era.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Japan established the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria. Puyi was installed as the head of state in 1932 and proclaimed Emperor of Manchukuo in 1934, taking the regnal name Kangde. He served as a ceremonial figure for the Japanese-backed regime until its collapse in 1945.

After Japan’s defeat, Puyi was captured by Soviet forces and transported to China, where he was imprisoned and subjected to political reeducation. He was released in 1959 and lived a largely private life in Beijing until his death on October 17, 1967. He published an autobiography recounting his life, and his memoirs have become a principal source for 20th-century imperial history, complemented by popular depictions such as the film The Last Emperor (1987).

Puyi’s life remains a focal point in discussions of China’s transition from imperial rule to republican governance, the complexities of collaboration during the Manchukuo period, and the broader memory of the late Qing and Republican eras.