Wanrong: The Tragic Tale of the Last Empress of China
Wanrong, born on November , 906, was the last Empress of China. She was the wife of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, and is sometimes anachronistically referred to as the “Xuantong Empress,” referring to Puyi’s era name.To get more news about last empress of china, you can visit shine news official website.
Born into the Manchu Plain White Banner Gobulo clan, Wanrong was the daughter of a high-ranking minister in the Imperial Court. Her father was progressive for his time and insisted that she receive an education equal to her brothers. As a result, she was fluent in English and accomplished in piano.
In 9, when Wanrong was only 6 years old, she was presented to Emperor Puyi as a potential bride. Despite the abolition of the monarchy in 9, Puyi was still allowed to live in the Forbidden City. Wanrong’s family, seeing an opportunity, put her forward in a bridal bid.
Wanrong married Puyi in 9 and became the titular Empress consort of the former Qing dynasty until the exile of the imperial family in November 9. She later became the Empress consort of Manchukuo, a Japanese puppet state in northeastern China, from 9 until the abolition of the monarchy in August 95.
However, Wanrong’s life was far from a fairy tale. Her reign as Empress was marked by tragedy and hardship. After the monarchy was abolished, all of Wanrong’s decadent pleasures turned into dust. By the end of her life, Wanrong had lost her crown, her child, and most infamously of all, her sanity.
During the Soviet invasion of Manchuria at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 95, Wanrong was captured by Chinese Communist guerrillas. She was transferred to various locations before she was placed in a prison camp in Yanji, Jilin. She died in prison in June 96, and her remains were never found.
Wanrong’s tragic tale serves as a stark reminder of the tumultuous times that marked the end of imperial rule in China. Her life, filled with opulence, tragedy, and ultimately despair, is a poignant symbol of the end of an era.