The Last Emperor

The tale of the last emperor of China, P'u Yi, is a fascinating one. Those of you who have seen the film have only the briefest glimpse into the character of the emperor and the imperial dynastic decline and fall of what was the longest continuing throne in history. The Chinese dynasties never subscribed to the strict hereditary principles often followed in the West, thus it was not unusual for a child to be placed on the throne. P'u Yi was the last of the Manchurian Ching (Great Pure) dynasty; he formally abdicated at 6 years of age in 1912; in 1644 the first Manchu emperor ascended the throne at 6 years of age. The twists and turns that took place after this event, an abdication unusual in that it left the emperor his title and claims intact, though without power, are the stuff of intrigue novels. From the wranglings within the Forbidden City to the intrigues outside, being tossed back and forth from custody of the Japanese, Russians, Americans, and finally the Chinese who later hoped to use him once again to win the loyalties of the Manchurians on the front lines of conflict with the Soviet Union, P'u Yi's life is fraught with paradox, danger, and finally, a sense of dignity becoming the Lord of Ten Thousand Years.Brackman writes in an engaging style, interjecting humour and wit as well as being responsible as an historian. Any inaccuracies can be put down to the difficulty in obtaining records from a closed society such as China's, or from the lack of records maintained. This book was published first in 1975 (during the re-opening of China to the West) and provided grist for the Hollywood film. But don't rely on the film! The film provides only the barest of outlines, and this book fills in the gaps of what happened to whom, questions inquiring minds want to know. It also provides a basic historical background to the dynastic system so as to make the story more intelligible. As the Empress Dowager would often command: 'Hear and obey! Read this!'

The last Emperor of China, the ruler of a vast nation, never knew a day of freedom in his life! He was raised by stupid old women and male eunuchs, and grew up to be immature and sexually impotent. It was realy sad to find that the beautifull empress had to spend her whole life with this jerk off. reminds me of that beautifull English girl who married the cold and boring brittish prince. Sound familiar? -Charles/Dianna, stupid! If the Brittish Royals would read this book they'd realise where their problems come from. King or commoner, your just a human being like everyone else. The sooner the royal family realises they're not gods or naional symbols, but just people, there will be no more royal scandals.

Here is a book for people like me who have a tin ear when it comes to distinguishing one Chinese name from another, and who go numb when faced with the ages and ages of China's rich history. I'm giving The Last Emperor by Arnold Brackman a 10-rating because it broke through my Sino-phobia with a story about 20th Century events so exotic that it read like fiction. Little Pu Yi was only three years old when he was crowned Lord of Ten Thousand Years. Isolated, manipulated, enthroned and detrhoned, exiled and imprisoned, he was a pitiful figure, always forced to do as he was told, until his death in 1967, perhaps as the victim of torture during the Cultural Revolution. As in Anna and The King of Siam (aka The King & I), there is an English tutor in the palace to familiarize the emperor with European customs, but this is no sentimental tale of a sexy king with adorable children, for Sir Reginals Johnston is an agent of His Majesty's Service who is sending intelligence reports back to London. There is also a palace-full of eunuchs who not only are stealing tons of food and precious artifacts, but also robbing the emperor of his masculinity. Many of the most fascinating incidents in the book were necessarily onitted from the Oscar-winning 1987 film; however, it is not generally known that the Bertolucci movie was based on Brackman's 1975 biography. Now that Washington is exploring ways of achieving more open relations with China, it becomes a matter of self interest for us to be aware, at the very least, of the events that have shaped our future trading partners. The engrossing story of The Last Emperor helped me take a first step toward understanding Chinese culture and history.