Civil Citizen

Author: Zhang Cheng
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The life of the last Chinese emperor, Puyi, is full of. His identity underwent constant changes in the turbulent history: from the emperor of the Qing Dynasty to a "Son of Heaven" with only a title in the Forbidden City, then to a refuge in the Japanese-controlled concession in Tianjin, later to a puppet emperor of Manchukuo, a prisoner in the Soviet Union, a war criminal in a prison in Fushun, and finally to an ordinary citizen of the People's Republic of China. In the tenth year of the Republic of China, when Puyi was fifteen, the imperial dowager and the princes in the palace were discussing his impending marriage. From the engagement to the wedding, the process took nearly two years. According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty's inner court, the wives of the emperor were divided into seven ranks: empress, consort, concubine, noble lady, favorite, commoner, and waiting maid. In Beijing in 1921, a group of strangers arrived at Wenxiu's small dining room, filling the space tightly. They all had queues, which were no longer in fashion at the time. Wenxiu's husband, Su Shu, quietly served tea and water to the guests: "Uncle, please have some tea."