Citizen: Puyi and His Five Women

Author: Zhang Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The life of the last emperor of China, Puyi, is filled with legends. 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 within the Forbidden City, then to a recluse in the Japanese concession in Tianjin, followed by a puppet emperor of Manchukuo, a prisoner in the Soviet Union, a war criminal in a prison in Fushun, and finally becoming an ordinary citizen of the People's Republic of China. In the tenth year of the Republic of China, when Puyi was fifteen, the dowager empresses and princes in the palace were discussing his marriage. From the engagement to the wedding, the process took nearly two years. According to the customs of the Qing Dynasty's inner court, the wives of the emperor were ranked into seven levels: Empress, Consort Imperial, Consort, Concubine, Noble Lady, Attendant, and Favored Attendant. In Beijing in 1921, a group of strangers arrived in Wenxiu's small hall, filling the room to the brim. They all wore queues, which had already fallen out of fashion at the time. Wenxiu's husband, Su Shi, quietly served tea and water to the guests: "Uncle, please drink tea."