What Happened to the Last Emperor of China? (Short Animated Documentary)

We all know that China no longer has emperors but what happened to its final one? What was the last Emperor of China's life like after his abdication and what did it look like. It's pretty interesting.

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[shrimpboom]

Imagine being a monarch and proceeding to survive:
* A revolution
* A counterrevolution that puts you back in charge
* A counter-counterrevolution
* A foreign invasion that sets you up as a figurehead
* A foreign counterinvasion
AND
* A communist revolution
without being executed at any point

[gunnerjensen]

So the street sweeper yelling "I use to be somebody" isn't so crazy afterall.

[josephtay]

Actually people all recognized him when he walked on the street. In the misdst of cultural recolution, people still called him 'Great Grandpa' and saluted him politely. If he applied any job, the employer surely knew him. Mao employed him as a historian to summarize the history of Qing Dynasty in a book.

[TheShadowhawk]

"Sweep the streets I used to own" - Viva La Vida by Coldplay

[azorac]

if I am not mistaken, after he was released from prison, he was invited to visit the museum of the forbidden city, a historian explained to them (as there are other people within that tour group) what the furniture and Chinaware are for during the imperial era, puyi laughed so hard as he heard the historian describes his old chamber pot as some precious historial relic

[InternetDarkLord]

If you think the last emperor had it bad, The last imperial Chinese eunuch, Sun Yaoting, was castrated to serve the monarch right before revolution toppled him, making his castration totally unnecessary. If you think you are having a bad day, remember this guy.

[Mothman]

“With him died the last of a 2, 000 year old system of government” Dam that’s harsh

[syue]

fun fact about Puyi after he got released from the prison in 1959. He went back to the forbidden city with some friends for the first time after 1924 . At the entrance when he was asked to purchase a ticket, he mumbled “now I need to pay to get in my home” but still insisted to pay for the ticket. During his visit he noticed in one of the palaces there was a man’s portrait hanging on the wall with caption below claiming this is the Guangxu Emperor. Puyi then immediately went to a staff and reported the mistake, said he’s 100% this guy on the picture is not Guangxu, then this conversation happened:
Staff: all infos are given by experts, no chance it can be wrong.
Puyi: Is that so? The man on the photo is Zaifun the prince Chun.
Staff: you gotta be kidding. That’s not possible
Puyi (pointing at the photo) : you know what, this man is literally my father. How tf can i ID him wrong.
Staff:

[spongebobbies]

When you think about it Mao’s decision was actually incredibly smart as it guaranteed him the loyalty of any royalist’s left in China alongside the bonus of giving him more legitimacy in the eyes of the public and in the international community seeing as how he was able to make even the previous emperor vouch for him

[ivanivanofivansson]

Imagine the Chinese emperor cleaning the pavement in front of your house. Would they know who he was?

[Longshanks]

Honestly, the descendants of overthrown monarchies are some of the most interesting people in the world.

Like, the Hapsburgs still try to have some power through being elected officials, the son of the last Shah runs a government in exile and the Hohenzollerens are active patrons of causes across Germany. Even the Bonapartes are split over who is the real head of the household.

Despite their technical fall, having such a lineage is something you can never actually escape.

[thegraytemplar]

"I'm Puyi, the last Emperor of the Qing dynasty. I'm staying with relatives and can't find my way home" - Puyi after his first day as a street sweeper

[slyninja]

1:44 FACT: After becoming emperor of Manchukuo, Puyi wanted to wear the Qīng robes, however, the Japanese forced him to wear a military uniform.

[johnyricco]

Puyi’s brother Prince Pujie had a very interesting life also. He married a Japanese noble woman and had a daughter. He was locked up with Puyi and after his release lived in China with his Japanese wife and held a cushy government post. Their daughter was raised in Japan, and was on a shortlist to marry the future Japanese Emperor Akihito, but she committed suicide (her relatives say her boyfriend murdered her). 

Had she married Akihito and produced an heir, the current Emperor of Japan would be a quarter Chinese and the last member of the Qing royal line.

[LostSonOfPluto]

I’ve always found this period of Chinese history fascinating

[vazeyo]

Fun fact: In germany there is a common phrase to say: "Und ich bin der Kaiser von China!" (And I´m the emperor of china!)
to imply that you don´t believe something someone told you. Recognize a lie, so to speak.

[genericname]

Best Resume Ever

*Previous Job Experience*
Emperor of China
Landlord
Chief Executive of Manchuria
Emperor of Manchuria
Street Sweeper
Editor

[monad]

The movie "The Last Emperor" is just fantastic and tells Puyi's story so beautifully. Highly recommend.

[nowhereman]

My fascination with Puyi has grown over the years. He was such a strange, pathetic, detestable, pitiful, and sympathetic man. His life was essentially ruined by the Emperorship. He was used by everyone around him for their own gains and was spoiled rotten, but never given any real freedom. Imagine what living in a gilded cage their entire life would do to a person. He would abuse his servants for entertainment all the while they would completely control his day to day activities. Even after he was forcedly removed from the Forbidden City, instead of seeking freedom elsewhere, he quickly went to the Japanese as they promised to make him Emperor again. When he realized he was nothing more than a puppet, his condition only worsened. He became even more bitter over his powerlessness and increasingly abusive to his servants, all the while being trapped in a small palace under implied threat from the Japanese. Ironically, his imprisonment under the Chinese Communist was the best thing that ever happened to him. They forced him to recognize what had been done under his "reign" in Manchukuo, and he became incredibly humble. Although, it's entirely possible he was just trying to suck up to his new captors, and only acted the way he did out of desperation for approval rather than actually growing as a person.
Overall, Puyi was never really his own person. He was put in a terrible place by forces beyond his control that caused him great suffering and built him into this maladapted person. But it was his own actions that led to his further misery.

[garmenlin]

"What happened to the last emperor of China?"
Hoi4 players: He continued his search for the mandate of heaven.