Xuantong

Xuantong is the reign title of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty in China. He was born in 1906 and ascended the throne in 1908 at the tender age of two, following the death of his uncle, the Guangxu Emperor. As a child emperor, Xuantong's reign was largely controlled by regents, including his father, Prince Chun, and Empress Dowager Longyu. His reign was marked by immense political turmoil and the eventual collapse of the Qing Dynasty. The Xinhai Revolution of 1911 led to the abdication of the emperor in 1912, bringing an end to over two thousand years of imperial rule in China. Despite his abdication, Puyi briefly attempted to regain the throne in 1917 during a brief monarchist restoration, but this was unsuccessful. He later became a puppet ruler of Manchukuo, a Japanese-controlled state in Manchuria, under the reign title of Kangde. The Xuantong era, therefore, represents the final, albeit brief and tumultuous, period of imperial governance in China before its transition to a republic.