Henry Puyi, the six-year old Emperor of China, abdicated the throne on 12th February, 1912 —but of course it was his adoptive mother, Empress Dowager Longyu, who did the paperwork. With tears in her eyes, she dramatically whispered, “I am the sinner of a thousand years.” Meanwhile, young Puyi had only pressing question: “Does that mean I don’t have to study anymore?” 

Plucked from his home at age two, Puyi grew up as ruler in The Forbidden City, the centre of ancient traditions, even as the empire was crumbling. By the time he was 12, it was time for another surreal experience—marriage. Meanwhile, his Scottish tutor, Reginald Johnston, introduced him to movies and Western culture. But the imperial bubble popped for good in 1924 when soldiers finally kicked him out of the Forbidden City, and for the first time in centuries, China had no emperor. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain what Puyi did into exile; reveal how he coped when the Chinese Communist Party decided to rebrand him as a model citizen; and discover what Bertolucci’s acclaimed movie of his life got wrong...

Further Reading:

• ‘The Last Emperor's Humble Occupation’ (TIME, 1999): https://time.com/archive/6955501/the-last-emperors-humble-occupation/

• ’Pu Yi, last Emperor of China, is pardoned’ (History Today, 2009): https://www.historytoday.com/archive/pu-yi-last-emperor-china-pardoned

• ‘CHINA: Emperor Puyi crowned in Manchukuo’ (BRITISH PARAMOUNT NEWSREEL, 1934):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwApqUm1KkI

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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