The Xuantong Emperor, born Aisin-Gioro Puyi, commonly known as Puyi, courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 12 February 1912 during the Xinhai Revolution. His era name as Qing emperor, "Xuantong", means "proclamation of unity". He later became the ruler of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s until its collapse in 1945 with the regnal name of Kangde.
The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chiefs of the Jianzhou Jurchens, one of the three major Jurchen tribes at this time. Qing bannermen passed through the gates of the Great Wall in 1644, conquered the short-lived Shun dynasty and the Southern Ming dynasty. The Qing dynasty later expanded into other adjacent regions, including Xinjiang, Tibet, Outer Mongolia, and Taiwan, gaining total control of China. The dynasty reached its zenith during the High Qing era and under the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned from 1735 to 1796. This reign was followed by a century of gradual decline.
Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, was a British diplomat who served as the tutor and advisor to Puyi, the last emperor of China. He was also the last British Commissioner of Weihaiwei. Johnston's book Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) was used as a source for Bernardo Bertolucci's film dramatization of Puyi's life The Last Emperor.
Manchukuo was a puppet state set up by the Empire of Japan in Manchuria which existed from 1931 to 1945. The Manchukuo regime was established four months after the Japanese withdrawal from Shanghai with Puyi as the nominal but powerless head of state to add some semblance of legitimacy, as he was a former emperor and an ethnic Manchu.
Jin Youzhi, born Aisin-Gioro Puren, was a Chinese politician and historian. He was the head of the House of Aisin-Gioro, the ruling clan of the Qing dynasty, from 1994 until his death in 2015. He was the fourth and youngest son of Prince Chun, and a younger half-brother of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Instead of using his Manchu clan name "Aisin-Gioro" as his family name, Puren adopted "Jin" as his new family name. "Jin" means "gold" in Mandarin, as does "Aisin" in the Manchu language. His courtesy name was "Youzhi." He is best known as "Jin Youzhi." The Chinese media referred to him as "the last emperor's younger brother" or "the last imperial younger brother."
Zheng Xiaoxu was a Chinese statesman, diplomat and calligrapher. He served as the first Prime Minister of Manchukuo.
Chen Baochen, was a Chinese official during late Qing era, hailing from Fuzhou, Fujian province in southeast/coastal China. During the last years of the Qing dynasty, he served as sub-chancellor in the Grand Secretariat and as vice minister of the Ministry of Rites (礼部侍郎). Following the collapse of the imperial order and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, he remained loyal to the Qing dynasty and served as tutor and adviser of the former emperor, Puyi, who was allowed to stay in the Forbidden City for more than thirteen years under the "Articles of Favorable Treatment." In 1917, Chen supported the Manchu Restoration, the loyalist general Zhang Xun's abortive attempt to restore the Qing dynasty. Chen Baochen continued to serve Puyi after he was finally expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, but unlike his rival Zheng Xiaoxu, he refused to collaborate in the establishment of Manchukuo.
Yuzhan, courtesy name Jungu, was a Chinese calligrapher of Manchu descent. He was a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, the imperial clan of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. He was also the seventh son of Puwei (溥偉) and a great-grandson of Yixin.
Zhang Xun, courtesy name Shaoxuan (少軒), art name Songshoulaoren (松壽老人), nickname Bianshuai, was a Chinese general and Qing loyalist who attempted to restore the abdicated emperor Puyi in the Manchu Restoration of 1917. He also supported Yuan Shikai during his time as president.
Chū Kudō, real name Tetsusaburō Kudō, was a Japanese adventurer, Manchukuo politician and Lieutenant General in the Manchukuo Imperial Army.
Puru, also known as Pu Xinyu 溥心畬, Xinyu being his courtesy name, and Xishan Yishi 西山逸士, which is his sobriquet, was a traditional Chinese painter, calligrapher and nobleman. A member of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, the ruling house of the Qing dynasty, he was a cousin to Puyi, the last Emperor of China. It was speculated that Puru would have succeeded to the Chinese throne if Puyi and the Qing government were not overthrown after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.
King Pu-tsung is a Taiwanese politician. He served as the Secretary-General of the National Security Council from 25 March 2014 until 12 February 2015. King was widely regarded as the most important aide to Ma Ying-jeou. He served as the Secretary-General of Kuomintang (KMT) from December 2009 to January 2011. King also served as Vice Mayor of Taipei from 2002 to 2006 and had previously been a scholar and journalist. King is alleged to be a descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan.
Jin Qicong or Aisin-Gioro Qicong was a Chinese historian and linguist of Manchu ethnicity who is known for his studies of the Manchu and Jurchen languages. His works include the first modern dictionary of Jurchen (1984), various books about the Manchu people, and editions of the poetry of his great-great-grandfather Aisin-Gioro Yihui (1799–1838) and his wife Gu Taiqing.
Yunying (1913–1992), better known as Jin Yunying, was a Chinese princess of Manchu descent. She was the daughter of Zaifeng and Youlan, and a younger sister of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. She was married to Runqi, the younger brother of Puyi's first wife, Wanrong.
William John Francis "Bill" Jenner is an English sinologist and translator, specialising in Chinese history and culture, and translator of Chinese literature.
Jia Yinghua was a Chinese writer and researcher who focused on the late Qing Dynasty. He served as Vice President of the Biography Society of China, commissioner of National Commission of the Chinese Writers’ Association, President of China's Electrical Power Writers' Association. Representative works of his include The Later Half of the Last Emperor's Life, The Last Eunuch of China: The Life of Sun Yaoting, The Last Emperor’s Brother: The Life of Pujie. The Japanese version of The Later Half of the Last Emperor's Life is a bestseller in Japan, attracting great attention and garnering enormous popularity. According to authoritative media and press organizations in more than 100 countries and regions, including China, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan this book is a successful continuation of From Emperor to Citizen : The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi written by Pu Yi himself. The Chinese version of The Later Half of the Last Emperor’s Life is always a domestic bestseller and has been published nine times in total, and also won the Gold Key Award in the 5th Chinese Books Fair. His calligraphic works were also incorporated into First Exhibition of Chinese Celebrities’ Calligraphic Works, Exhibition of Contemporary Celebrities’ Paintings and Calligraphies, etc.
His book The Extraordinary Life of The Last Emperor of China was awarded the country's top prize for biographies in 2013.
Tong Jixu was a Chinese businessman and Manchukuo official from Fujian province in southeast China.
Aisin-Gioro Yinian (1916–1987), art name Rushiguan Ge (如是觀閣) was a Manchu nobleman, author and the last heir of the principality of Rui before the extinction of his line. He was also known by his Han Chinese name Jin Jishui.
From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi is the autobiography of Puyi, the last emperor of China.
Gobulo Runqi was a member by right of birth of the Gobulo clan, part of the prestigious Plain White Banner group of the Qing dynasty and brother of Wanrong, the last empress consort of China.
