A Factual Error: Wanrong was NOT "the Last Empress of China", as the video claims. She was only married to Puyi in 1922. Puyi, known as Emperor Xuantong of Qing, abdicated in 1912, which marked the end of the Qing dynasty as China's central government. Pursuant to the Instrument of Abdication, which remained legally valid until 1924, the government of Republic of China continued to recognize Puyi's imperial title and treat him according to the diplomatic protocol befitting a foreign monarch over the next 12 years. In other words, from his accession to the throne in Nov 1908 up until Feb 12th, 1912, Puyi was the Emperor of China. From that day onward until 1924, he was merely the Emperor of the Qing Court (as recognized by Republic of China), whose legal status was reduced to a nonprofit corporation. It was in this context Wanrong was married to Puyi and was the Empress of Qing between 1922 and 1924. She was of course never the Empress of China, however, as China ceased being a monarchy more than a decade before her wedding. 1922 was already the 10th year of the Republic era. The real Last Empress of China was Jingfen of Yehe Nara(1868-1913), the Empress Xiaodingjing of Qing. She was the wife of Emperor Guangxu of Qing - Puyi's predecessor and the last person who married in his capacity as the Emperor of China. With her husband's death and the accession of her nephew Puyi, who was only 3-year old, Jingfen became the head of the Regency under the honorific Empress Dowager Longyu. She, the real Last Empress of China, was also the last de facto ruler of the Imperial China. It was Jingfen who tearfully signed the abdication in the name of Puyi in 1912. She died in depression a year later.
When watching Last Emperor, I found it interesting that Wanrong, who received Western education, eventually chose to prison her life in the old system, while Wenziu, who received Chinese traditional education, eventually chose to divorce with Puyi
Some things don't simply change because of the education you receive. She decided to stick to the traditional life. That was her choice... It is just how it is.
She didn't want a divorce because of the advantages that came with being empress; specifically money as she was a shopaholic and she also had an opium addiction. She loved living lavishly and needed her daily smoke - I guess that was more important to her than her own sanity.
Educated Chinese women faced difficulties because China was so traditional during that time, despite the industrial changes & modernization. The men were staunch gatekeepers. The films “Raise the Red Lantern” & “The Joy Luck Club” is a great watch, that displays some of the hardships they face within their traditions & society.
No empress actually had a great life, they don't even have a choice whether or not they would want to marry the emperor, they were also forced to give birth non-stop, and the emperor doesn't spend much time with them, they spend their days wandering around in their lonely palace with their maids almost all their life...
I once worked for a very powerful and rich family in Dubai. They were not really sheikhs or royalty, but almost as they were instrumentalmin developing the country to what it is now. The same fate happened...young, arranged marriage, the husband always ignoring the wife and just spending time boozing and womanizing with his coterie of hangers-on. The wife would call me everyday (I was his EA) pleading if she could speak to him, and me having to concoct a lie everytime because the guy refused to talk to her. They shop like mad to contain their boredom. Ince, she unloaded all of her unwanted shopping to us, women who worked for the family company and it was full of $500 bras and negligees from Europe with still the price tags on, couture clothes still unworn. Their small kids would sometimes visit the office with wads of cash in pockets and cruelly teasing the office workers with practical jokes and saying ‘do you have this much money on you?’ And just blowing all that cash on stupid knick knacks and junk food at the corner dollar store. The hubby would bring in busloads of high-class prostitutes to his villa in the outskirts of the city every weekend, and spend $25K on booze (this was 2 decades back) costs alone for his dozen friends, buy expensive gold jewelry for his ‘woman of the night’ and throw cash around. No, money and getting married into money does not spell happiness.
Bruhh there are a lot of more miserable women out there married to horrible and penniless husbands. That arrangement tbh is not that bad if I'm an ancient woman I'm willing to marry an emperor or a king
Poor Wanrong😔. She was so beautiful, elegant, and well educated. Although she became empress, I would say that it became her demise. Such a smart and powerful woman shouldn’t be kept in a cage.
Puyi's younger brother had a daughter, and she gave birth to a boy in Japan. And her son lives as an ordinary person in Japan. Rumor has it that they are not in the media for fear of political use.
Puyi's younger brother married a Japanese royal woman, and they are enshrined in a Japanese shrine. Aishinkakura Shrine（ 愛新覚羅社）is one of the shrines in Shimonoseki.
It is only luxurious on the surface level. The empror is expected to work a 9 to 5 hous with extra hours while dealing with all the BS the court has to offer.
@@jasC1933 what’s sad about it is that from the outside, she had it made: empress of China, servants, all the bling she could wand and the attention of her husband but I think if they had allowed a journalist to interview her, they might see that there was something going on that wasn’t quite right
@@keanming99 Wanwong was dealt a pretty bad hand as empress and at a time when there were people who didn’t care that she was empress. It seemed like a bad timing issue that this would have been her fate because her husband just HAD to be emperor somehow and somewhere.
This clip had a lot of missing important details where the parents, specifically the step mother of Wanrong, who insisted that Wanrong should participate in the bride selection of Puyi. Wanrong's father and stepmother wanted their daughter to be chosen as Puyi's bride, and so her name was added to a list of potential brides. Puyi first chose Wenxiu, but his advisors weren't keen on the idea, so made his second choice - Wanrong. Puyi was a cruel man and was prone to having the eunuchs that served as his staff beaten regularly. His advisors tried to get the emperor to ease off on the men but to no avail. Puyi even confessed that "my cruelty and love of wielding power were already too firmly set for persuasion to have any effect on me." And tis did not bode well for Wanrong. On the wedding day of Puyi and Wanrong, Puyi also married his first chosen bride to be-Wenxiu on that same day. Official historical record states that Emperor Puyi walked into the matrimonial chambers, and upon seeing his two young brides, his terror and inexperience made him run away and did not consummate the marriage. Rumors of his possible homosexuality have since surfaced, including the disturbing details that include his desire for young girls as well the sodomizing of equally young pageboys. Wanrong was actually struggling into her new life as empress at her young age because of pressure and high expectation of the people of China on her. There was a coup that happenwd that threw them out. Puyi, Wanrong, and Wenxiu moved out of The Forbidden City and took up residence in the Quiet Garden Villan in Tianjin. Because of Wanrong's opium addiction, she not only suffered from physical illness but from mental illness as well. Her mental health was so concerning that she was found wandering her home naked upon occasion. Though Wanrong and Wenxiu had experienced tensions and considered each other their rival, they were also the only friends they had. Both women had not bargained for a life in exile, and after the 1924 coup, and years away from The Forbidden City, Wenxiu had finally had enough and decided to divorce Puyi. Which left Wanrong alone at Puyi's care. After Wenxiu left Emperor Puyi started to make some very questionable choices. Whne the Japan offered Puyi the position of the ruler in Manchuko, Wanrong tried desperately to dissuade her husband from taking on the role, but he ignored her. Life for Wanrong in Japan was proving to be a living nightmare. She was lonely and despised by the people, and ignored by her husband. Not long after the coronation, she attempted to flee Manchukou several times. Wanrong felt helpless, and somehow knew she was never going to get away from her husband. She began to betray Puyi with his 2 personal aides and got pregnant by 1 of them. This was the time that Wanrong gave an option to either accept the child as his or let them both leave outside. Then Puyi lied and killed the daughter or Wanrong. This made Wanrong depress and worsen her mental health. She got so addicted to opium and had horrific withdrawal symptom. She then lost her mind. The withdrawal symptoms caused Wanrong to hallucinate, and she became delusional. At one point she believed she was still the Empress and began demanding that the guards bring her fresh clothing, baths, food, and more opium. Of course, she received none of this, except for jeering and laughter from her onlookers. Her delusions got even worse and Wanrong started screaming and crying for her daughter - the baby whom her husband had killed. She received no sympathy from the people guarding her and those that traveled from afar to watch her through the bars of her cell. Those that were guarding Wanrong saw her as merely an extension of the evil Puyi, and since they couldn't get their hands on Puyi, they exacted their revenge on his wife. Wanrong died of malnutrition and opium addiction. Puyi found out that Wantong died but had known nothing of her demise, and upon reading the letter he was quite emotionless. This was really the tragic story of the Last empress of China. Her brother would perform a burial ritual for her in 2006 by burying a photograph of her. The ritual was performed so that she could finally rest in peace. 😔 :excerpted some frm an article
He liked young girls... but his brides were already young. both 12 yo.. .. I'm guessing he actually liked boys.. undeveloped girls are similar to boys in the beginning without the chest or the more femine features.
This Wenxiu brave for her decision to divorce at that time many girl married in royal family will be cofined there forever or either One Step Empress cut her hair also like divorce but Wanrong really love him thats why she didnt want divorce just like Wenxiu did? Or just for luxurious life? #womenrights
I don't think she still loved him, at least from the day Manchukuo was established (1932). Better go through some analysis: - Did she really love him after all? Or at least just before she had affairs by the time she was Empress in Manchukuo? Probably a little, perhaps very little because there relationship has greatly deteriorated ever since Wenxiu divorced him. Even before that, many people had heard the couple yelling at each other for quite many times due to very nonsensical reasons. Did they love each other? Yes they did, albeit not as much as other loving couples smooching with each other, but there were real chemistry between these two. However, Wanrong could no longer stand him as he joined the Japanese side (she detested Japanese) and gradually neglected his wife to devote to his pursuit of restoring the old Qing empire, taking over the entire China once again like his ancestors used to. Real suspects (probably Japanese or servants at their palace in Manchukuo) claimed that Wanrong despised her husband, performing skits mocking her husband in front of the servants (behind Puyi's back, of course) by wearing sunglasses (Puyi frequently wore sunglasses, even indoors) and imitating her husband's jerky movements. They did not even have dinner with each other during the time from 1934 to 1937. I could say that she did love her husband, but hardly after he became a puppet emperor. - Did she just follow Puyi in order to lead a lavish life? She did, yes she did. Despite hating the Japanese and knowing that working for them and living under their surveillance could only bring unfavorable consequences, she still decided to move to Manchukuo after her husband did a couple months in 1932. She knew that she had no choice but to follow him, otherwise she could hardly or even no longer live a luxurious life as she wanted (her family would definitely not tolerate and care for her if she seperated herself from Puyi, it's a matter of Chinese old-fashioned ideas, just look at Wenxiu living a harsh life after divorcing Puyi and you will see). Why couldn't she live a poor life yet recieving freedom like Wenxiu did? The answer is simple, because she had never lived a poor, impoverished life before, but Wenxiu did, and that could be a terrifying experience for a lady coming from the class, having extravagant habits like Wanrong, who has never even really known how severe "poverty" could be. Her pragmatic mindset when she decided to follow Puyi whatsoever in order to live lavishly is something that could be blamed for, but also could be sympathized as well if you try to analyze her concurrent situation and also her dark prospect if she decided to divorce her sadistic and neglectful husband. Fortunately she still regretted for following Puyi to Manchuko not long after he was set up. Overall, was it about a lavish life that Wanrong insisted on following and not divorcing Puyi? Yes, I could say, but she may no longer consider this as , in general, a priviledge as her days being puppet Empress went by.
if this story was told to me without telling me the age and name of this empress, i wouldve thought she was a 50 year old person, with such a life experience, its really very sad to see that someone this talented and beautiful had her fate totally changed just because of a marriage
For those arguing about beauty. You have to remember the first and most obvious, that beauty is subjective. Everyone has different preferences. This leads HEAVILY into the next main point. Ancient dynastical Chinese beauty standards are no where close to today's Western standards. Rather than looking at a woman and classifying her as beautiful, Chinese culture back then based beauty on what would bring wealth, prosperity, health, plenty of children, luck, etc to a man and his family/name. Fengshui, yin and yang energies, shamans, and even birthdays would dictate a woman's value and beauty. If she was prosperous and had good aura, that would also make her more beautiful and desirable to people.
He neglected his second wife at the beginning when he lost her,he suddenly mad blame wanrong and ignore her???? And then when he lost wanrong he said if she didn't marry him she can escape that fate,as if he's blaming himself. You should treasure those who by your side because if you lost them there will be no turning back!!
Out of all the three, Wenxiu was the victor. She did not commit adultery like Wanrong. She simple divorces and left. She had traditional Chinese, not western education like Wanrong, yet she was the emancipated and modern one ☝️ I am sure her descendants are in a far better state than Puyi’s.
According to God of the Bible, whoever initiated that divorce is still comitting adultery. Wenxiu also never had children and died at 43 from heart failure. No one won in this situation since it's doubtful any of them knew God sadly.
@@MissLexi333 as a christian i think God is smart enough to know that wenxiu did the right thing plus maybe he is smart enough to know that she didn't know God at that time
@@MissLexi333 Divorce is allowed in Bible if the so called partner is a sexual immoral person and Pu Yi was a playboy on top of having more than one wife. So Wenxiu divorcing him wasn't a sin as per Christianity.
Probably the status. From what I read and watched, a lot of times when it comes to marriage in the royal family they don’t get to pick who they liked it’s more so they look at her background and status, as that to them is far more important than anything. They don’t look at her looks they don’t look at the liking it’s the status that is valued.
@@myeongwol It was a powerplay between 2 Imperial Noble Consorts Tatara who preferred Wanrong and Jingyi who pushed for Wenxiu. Pu yi actually chose Wenxiu and that pissed off Lady Tatara who didn't consider Wenxiu pretty enough nor rich enough plus she was only 12 years old. Tatara eventually got her way when he was pressured to pick Wanrong. It's Wenxiu who was lucky. After her divorce from Pu Yi she remarried and worked as a teacher. She didn't succumb to opium and stopped cutting herself. Pu Yi said of Wenxiu that she demonstrated willpower and courage during the proceedings.
A lot of people say wanrong had potential for something more or better life but y’all ignoring the fact that she got along with puyi who is reportedly considered mean and was mean to wenxiu. If she married another person and had another life she’d probably still treat people (like wenxiu) the same. You can’t fight what you really are. She got along with puyi cuz her and puyi had same (mean) heart.
This video doesn't go into details but she didn't get along with puyi .In fact piyu ignored her for most of her adult life. When they were still teens he loved her and engaged in conversation with her.He did spend time with wenxiu and was more intimate with her then wanrong which is why she was always jealous of wenxiu. We forget that she lost her baby after she lost her hope of being a mother she lost her sanity too.If she had been married to another man who didnt kill her baby then she would of been better then she is now.
China was a male dominated OR male oriented society. (women survived horrific events, for example, crushing the feet to look like Lilly flowers, etc). I am so happy that this era of Chinese history has been laid to rest. I hope that globally, Women can be human beings as mens equals.
@Hadi Kosh In the entire history of the Chinese Dynasties, there was only one (1) female ruler. Her name was Empress Wu. Otherwise, every dynasty was ruled by men.
for me Empress Wanrong was a very strong person who didn't leave the emperor side knew her ethics, followed the royalty's duty and was loyal though the emperor didn't care for her I admire the Empress and her bravery even though she was lonely and mentally unstable.
@@Dhruv_Dogra Part of the court, so hardly strangers. Also, her so-called husband didn't touch her...only a moralistic idiot could blame her for seeking affection and attention.
Many Famous People had Tragic Lives ... So have Universal Loving Kindness & Compassion + Wisdom to All of Us ... Make each other Happy while we are still capable , as Life Is Short ... May the innocents be Blessed to a Better & Realm! 🌷🌿🌍
Good video. I never quite understood the marriage set=up in Bertolucci's film. Your video made the relationship between the 3 clearer to me. Thank you.
*This is literally like almost every C Drama I’ve ever seen: “Wanrong & the Fallen Emperor” or “The Emperor’s Choice” or “The Forgotten Consort” or “The Sad Empress” or “After the Fall” It can go so many ways* *”Puyi’s Pick”*
Factual Error: Wanrong was NOT "the Last Empress of China". She was only married to Puyi in 1922. Puyi, known as Emperor Xuantong of Qing, abdicated in 1912, which marked the end of the Qing dynasty as China's central government. Pursuant to the Instrument of Abdication, which remained legally valid until 1924, the government of Republic of China continued to recognize Puyi's imperial title and treat him according to the protocol befitting a foreign monarch over the next 12 years. In other words, up until Feb 12th, 1912, Puyi was the Emperor of China. From that day onward until 1924, he was the Emperor of Qing (as recognized by Republic of China). in comparison Wanrong was legitimately the Empress of Qing between 1922 and 1924. She was never the Empress of China, however, as China ceased being a monarchy more than a decade before her wedding. 1922 was already the 10th year of the Republic era.
The Qing Dynasty wasnt even ethnic Han Chinese anyways. They have more in common with Mongolian and Turkic people culturally and linguistically up til they assimilated into Chinese culture sometime in the 1800s onward. They began their rule of China in and around 1644 and used the title Khan and Beili(related to Mongolian Khan and Bek and Turkic Khan and Bey/Beg) They were also famed horse archers. Their cultural relation to Turks and Mongols were also shown in their central asian style shaved head and pony tail hairstyle of nomads they forced on the Chinese. A hair style also seen in Ukrainian cossacks who borrowed it from Turkic Tatars. Manchus or Jurchens spoke a Siberian Tungusic language with is a Spachbund to Turkic and Mongolic languages.
Wanrong was loved by her husband while Wenxiu was neglected. Wanrong enjoyed her life with husband and other luxurious but at the end her death was miserable. While Wenxiu who was deprived from her husband's love, divorced him and had her own set of hardship but ended up marring second tym and till death her husband was by her side.
instead of thinking Emperor Xuantong, Aisin Gioro Puyi was a jerk, why not think of it another way. He was the grandson of Lady YeheNara Wanzhen and also Empress Dowager Cixi's younger sister. Who is Wanzhen and how is she important here? She is the birth mother of Aisin Gioro Zaitian, Emperor Guangxu. Cixi forcefully took Gwangxu away when he was young after Emperor Tongzhi died at the age of 20(+). Wanzhen hated her sister all her life for taking away her son. Even tho Cixi gave her a lot of taels and cloths, Wanzhen refused it. Thereafter, Emperor Gwangxu who defied Cixi multiple times got into house arrest and Cixi knew she had to have an heir in order to restore the Imperial Power. And so, she aimed her eyes on Zaifeng's children again. This time it was young child Puyi. She knew that Puyi was young and would have no thoughts of his own, prehaps it seemed better this way anyway. And so, again... Wanzhen's grandson was taken away. Now Puyi isnt related to Wanzhen biologically, but bcs Wanzhen is the main wife of the Prince Chun manor, he still had to respect her in some way. With the heir picked and Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Gwangxu died within two days... Puyi's child reign started. Puyi grew up in the forbidden city, hearing tales of his great ancestors who managed to rule over China proper. He was known as an Emperor and he only knew that his whole life. He was surrounded by servants, eunuchs who would listen to whatever he had to say. He had no idea who else to rely on because he only had his nanny with him. He didnt know what it meant, as a child who came into this world, his role was to rule over China, just like his ancestors did. Prehaps now people will think Emperor Kangxi also took over the throne when he was young... but the difference is, afterall all these years, ever since Emperor Jiaqing's reign came about, corruption and embezzlement seemed uncontrollable. So his reign was a tricky one, because there was literally no money in the Royal Safe... Emperor Qianlong's love for fun and excursions caused the financial status to go down, his father saved up so much but he spent it so quickly... So when Puyi was chased away from the Forbidden City, he was confused and lost. He only knew how to be an Emperor and ofc w Wanrong, she was Empress her whole life. Why would she bow down to people? These two were special because they were the only few Chinese Royals who embraced the culture of western influence, Puyi loved cycling and he would play badminton with his two consorts. After they got kicked out of the Forbidden City, Wanrong became addicted to opium.. Thereafter came Japanese rule in Manchuko, as Emperor Kangde just a puppet and a mere influencial figure over the manchus and chinese. Hoping they would follow. Puyi prehaps wanted it in hopes of restoring Qing, how would anyone face their ancestors if the dynasty ended in their hands? Afterwards, Wanrong got pregnant w a guard's baby but miscarried, the miscarriage caused her to lose sanity and she was evermore addicted to opium, thus she was hardly ever conscious. Her ladies-in-waiting didnt even want to serve her because she was crazy, often craddling a rolled up towel. Then, the Soviets captured Wanrong after ww2 stretched over to Asia Pacific, she had hallucinations that she was in the Forbidden City again, however the effects of not taking in opium got to her and eventually Wanrong died, where she is buried is unknown. As for Puyi, his life seemed like a mistake, going into prison for a crime he unknowingly committed. Puyi's life was constantly controlled by others... all because he was an "Emperor". I think the greatest mistake was not his reign, he only wanted the best and he did his best. The greatest mistake is to be part of the Aisin Gioro Clan. He is probably also the only person who has to buy a ticket to go home (Forbidden City). As for Puyi's abusive behaviour, prehaps think of it another way... his whole life was surrounded by servants, the only mother he had was his nanny and there was no one else.. He didnt know how to love someone because the love between an Emperor and an Empress is different from a man and a woman.
I thought that the baby was ordered by puyi to be killed because it's not his? I also believe he had the desire to become a good emperor and to regain the glory of his dynasty as it had once been before. That was why he agreed to a coalition with the japanese who promised him to bring back his crown. But I don't think he could become a good ruler if he didn't know that the japanese were manipulating him.
I read an account written by Puyi (probably heavily censored by the CCP), mainly about the time when he was, "Emperor of Manchukuo" (the Japanese puppet state of Munchuria). Puyi claimed ancestral ties to Manchuria, because of his Manchu roots in the Qing Dynasty, but he was a puppet emperor of the Japanese in all but name. In his account, Puyi barely mentioned his empress consort Wanrong, and when he did it was only in passing reference to her opium addiction. I think the relationship between Puyi and Wanrong was fragile and superficial. Like Wanrong, Puyi was captured by the Soviets, held in a comfortable prison in Siberia, and then released to the CCP a few years later. Unlike Wanrong, Puyi survived his sojourn in the CCP jail, had his airs and graces removed from him by his separation from his relations and learned to tie his own shoelaces and wash, dress and groom himself. He was later released (when "reformed") and given a job as a gardener in the old imperial palace grounds in Beijing and remarried an ordinary Manchu woman. Mao Zedong perceived Puyi as a useful puppet, less aggressively than the Japanese, but a puppet like; " see we didn't shoot him like the Soviets had done to the Romanovs". The story of Wanrong is sad and pathetic. Her fate was deliberately covered up by Puyi and others.
@@princess7jasmine Lmao, having a bad life doesn't mean you can be rude to others, if this is valid, everyone can do bad things and say it's because they've been having a hard time to cover it up
@@ysheen718 It doesn't excuse their actions, but it's perfectly understandable to be sympathetic to them. I'm sorry your parents didn't teach you basic empathy.
So why did Wanrong stay? Was it because she felt dutiful or because she couldn't give up the lifestyle that gave her opium and nice things? Her treatment of Wenxiu, someone who was even more of a child than her, pisses me off. She was literally the empress;why was she taunting this girl who is in the same/worse predicament? In the end, Wenxiu got a better ending.
She's rude to Wenxiu, even though it's already obvious that Wenxiu was harmless. Please don't say it was because of her love towards her husband, as a human, use some rationality. Anyway, her ending was a real tragedy.
Am I mistaken? I thought you said in the video that you talked about Wenxiu, that they did not compete and had a good relationship with each other. They use to write letters asking how their health was doing?
She went mad bc her husband, Pu Yi, was closetedly gay. Their marriage was never consummated. In the movie "The Last Emperor" Wan Rong became pregnant and bore a child she had with a young Japanese general, but the child was quickly killed by the Japanese after birth. This supposedly is what drove Wan Rong insane in the end.
The winner was wenxiu because she was freed from an unhappy marriage by getting a divorce. Wanrong should have taken her cue and divorced puyi and she might have escaped from a miserable life with puyi. Imo, she had many Inhibitions that stopped her from divorcing. Imo, either she was too attached to the crown as the queen consort or she wouldn't want to embarrass her emperor husband if she asked for a divorce like what wenxiu did. What wenxiu did was so brave at her time. That was the 1st time a concubine had abandoned and got separated from the emperor. A first in chinese history
Wanrong's family reputation was on the line too if she did something like that. Wenxiu didn't come from a prestigious family so she didnt have other people to protect other than herself. I guess Wanrong also became used to being an Empress since she became one as a teen.
The sheer ineptitude of the Manchus brought about the century of humiliation and ultimately the demise of Imperial China. The Qing dynasty was an utter disgrace.
It’s the other way, the Manchurians saved China from the Corrupt Ming dynasty and made China great again. In their rule of 3 centuries, they added more territories to China. If not for the Manchu Qing dynasty, there would be no China today, and you Jonathan ng would have not existed today. They were weakened by wars with Japan and all the Europeans and USA wanted a piece of China. You should give Thanks to the Manchu Qing dynasty!!!
Chinese royals history is fascinating - as westerners we look at the pictures and only see the remarkable attire and dead serious faces..meanwhile behind closed gates 😳
Don't forget this woman not only cheated on him with two Chinese retainers but also through her own brother that got her into the official harem she gave birth to a random Japanese CO in the military. Poor Puyi his whole story is one sad story after another. He didn't deserve any of his four wives even if he was a monster himself.
@@NoorKhan-rr8yt You never considered if she was happy or not. Instead you automatically assumed she was miserable because she "died in poverty" and everyone agrees. Humans have always wrongly conflated wealth with happiness. Remember - she was an Emperor's #1 consort. For her to trade that for a poor husband means she discovered things that were more important than wealth or power. Love, for instance. Listen up everyone please. Dying in poverty should be your goal. Spend all your money before you die and leave just enough for you funeral expenses and none for anyone else, not even your kids because 1. They should learn to work for what they want and not expect free wealth from dead relatives and 2. From every example I've seen and experienced inheritances only tear families apart. If its your money and you worked hard for it then spend it all before you go because you can't take it with you and if you can't spend it all then give it away to good causes. Let your money make you happy and die broke! That's the way to go! 👍
Women in those times, and those stations were practically groomed to be fully dependent on their husbands, and yet he abandoned her while he escaped. Hope his genes ended with him.
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Thank you everyone for watching it ❤️Wenxiu's Story is uploaded here:
th-cam.com/video/kcJirFk1dXE/w-d-xo.html
Here in Brazil, I liked your video.
A Factual Error: Wanrong was NOT "the Last Empress of China", as the video claims. She was only married to Puyi in 1922. Puyi, known as Emperor Xuantong of Qing, abdicated in 1912, which marked the end of the Qing dynasty as China's central government. Pursuant to the Instrument of Abdication, which remained legally valid until 1924, the government of Republic of China continued to recognize Puyi's imperial title and treat him according to the diplomatic protocol befitting a foreign monarch over the next 12 years. In other words, from his accession to the throne in Nov 1908 up until Feb 12th, 1912, Puyi was the Emperor of China. From that day onward until 1924, he was merely the Emperor of the Qing Court (as recognized by Republic of China), whose legal status was reduced to a nonprofit corporation. It was in this context Wanrong was married to Puyi and was the Empress of Qing between 1922 and 1924. She was of course never the Empress of China, however, as China ceased being a monarchy more than a decade before her wedding. 1922 was already the 10th year of the Republic era.
The real Last Empress of China was Jingfen of Yehe Nara(1868-1913), the Empress Xiaodingjing of Qing. She was the wife of Emperor Guangxu of Qing - Puyi's predecessor and the last person who married in his capacity as the Emperor of China. With her husband's death and the accession of her nephew Puyi, who was only 3-year old, Jingfen became the head of the Regency under the honorific Empress Dowager Longyu. She, the real Last Empress of China, was also the last de facto ruler of the Imperial China. It was Jingfen who tearfully signed the abdication in the name of Puyi in 1912. She died in depression a year later.
When watching Last Emperor, I found it interesting that Wanrong, who received Western education, eventually chose to prison her life in the old system, while Wenziu, who received Chinese traditional education, eventually chose to divorce with Puyi
Education doesn't equal smarts
Her education did not make the difference in her life
Some things don't simply change because of the education you receive. She decided to stick to the traditional life. That was her choice... It is just how it is.
She didn't want a divorce because of the advantages that came with being empress; specifically money as she was a shopaholic and she also had an opium addiction. She loved living lavishly and needed her daily smoke - I guess that was more important to her than her own sanity.
Educated Chinese women faced difficulties because China was so traditional during that time, despite the industrial changes & modernization. The men were staunch gatekeepers. The films “Raise the Red Lantern” & “The Joy Luck Club” is a great watch, that displays some of the hardships they face within their traditions & society.
No empress actually had a great life, they don't even have a choice whether or not they would want to marry the emperor, they were also forced to give birth non-stop, and the emperor doesn't spend much time with them, they spend their days wandering around in their lonely palace with their maids almost all their life...
I once worked for a very powerful and rich family in Dubai. They were not really sheikhs or royalty, but almost as they were instrumentalmin developing the country to what it is now. The same fate happened...young, arranged marriage, the husband always ignoring the wife and just spending time boozing and womanizing with his coterie of hangers-on. The wife would call me everyday (I was his EA) pleading if she could speak to him, and me having to concoct a lie everytime because the guy refused to talk to her. They shop like mad to contain their boredom. Ince, she unloaded all of her unwanted shopping to us, women who worked for the family company and it was full of $500 bras and negligees from Europe with still the price tags on, couture clothes still unworn. Their small kids would sometimes visit the office with wads of cash in pockets and cruelly teasing the office workers with practical jokes and saying ‘do you have this much money on you?’ And just blowing all that cash on stupid knick knacks and junk food at the corner dollar store. The hubby would bring in busloads of high-class prostitutes to his villa in the outskirts of the city every weekend, and spend $25K on booze (this was 2 decades back) costs alone for his dozen friends, buy expensive gold jewelry for his ‘woman of the night’ and throw cash around. No, money and getting married into money does not spell happiness.
Bruhh there are a lot of more miserable women out there married to horrible and penniless husbands. That arrangement tbh is not that bad if I'm an ancient woman I'm willing to marry an emperor or a king
@@elitedangeroustheworldnext9086 Until a concubine gets jealous of you and wants you dead. That life is not as glamorous as you think.
@@TheMaiah13 wow really? That’s a very sad life and yes agree on the money part, money can’t buy happiness, it actually imprison you
@@Elsagwene 😂🤣right? You have to built the next trap first before she gets you 😂🤣😂 a moving target children and all…
Poor Wanrong😔. She was so beautiful, elegant, and well educated. Although she became empress, I would say that it became her demise. Such a smart and powerful woman shouldn’t be kept in a cage.
She is nowhere close to beautiful
Powerful!! I don't think so.
@@xbrowsingvidzx2998 in our eyes she is beautiful
@@comradeleppi2000 Yeah well fix your eyes
@@xbrowsingvidzx2998 she was considered beautiful back in the day.
Puyi's younger brother had a daughter, and she gave birth to a boy in Japan. And her son lives as an ordinary person in Japan. Rumor has it that they are not in the media for fear of political use.
Puyi's younger brother married a Japanese royal woman, and they are enshrined in a Japanese shrine. Aishinkakura Shrine（ 愛新覚羅社）is one of the shrines in Shimonoseki.
if i'm not wrong, the pair truly in love with one another.
@@ducky4021 it was an arranged marriage but it was confirmed to be a happy one
@@giornogiovanna4461 I feel happy to hear that
@@giornogiovanna4461 Yes they were happy and arranged marriages can be very blissful and happy too. It just depends..
PuYi could be a monster in reality. The movie makes him seem like the victim but in real life he was really mean.
He wasn't much to look at either! John Lone did him more than justice in the movie.
What the name of the movie?pls
@@Jellybeans101 The last Emperor.
@@beverlyledbetter9302 I would prefer not be in his harem, if the emperor looked like that. Lol
@@miriamtiuseco2nd 😅😅
Everybody in the Chinese royal family is unhappy. A luxurious life but with a high price to pay
It was never a great time to be part of any Royal Family when you're people absolutely hate you and want you dead.
@@bigpoppa6658 Should've took down the qing dynasty sooner before kangxi era :)
A gilded cage
@@lh8593 How so?
maybe just the chinese
It is only luxurious on the surface level. The empror is expected to work a 9 to 5 hous with extra hours while dealing with all the BS the court has to offer.
That she stayed with him as long she did, was a testament to her strength! She was so lovely, too! I'm sad for her, though...very.
Poor Wanrong. If she not married, may be she had happy family.
Not necessarily but sadly we will never know that.
She did have an Indian lover in Malaya.
The audacity of Puyi to blame Wanrong when it was him who neglected her consort 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Yeah but wanrong still cheated on him , she would have divorced him too I guess
No wonder wanrong became an addict, she was married to PuYi
It's like ended up in jail which are enclosed from outside world. It's a no-no in modern world.
@@jasC1933 what’s sad about it is that from the outside, she had it made: empress of China, servants, all the bling she could wand and the attention of her husband but I think if they had allowed a journalist to interview her, they might see that there was something going on that wasn’t quite right
@@reythejediladyviajakku6078 yes itis.
It is unfanthomable cruelty!
@@keanming99 Wanwong was dealt a pretty bad hand as empress and at a time when there were people who didn’t care that she was empress. It seemed like a bad timing issue that this would have been her fate because her husband just HAD to be emperor somehow and somewhere.
This clip had a lot of missing important details where the parents, specifically the step mother of Wanrong, who insisted that Wanrong should participate in the bride selection of Puyi. Wanrong's father and stepmother wanted their daughter to be chosen as Puyi's bride, and so her name was added to a list of potential brides. Puyi first chose Wenxiu, but his advisors weren't keen on the idea, so made his second choice - Wanrong.
Puyi was a cruel man and was prone to having the eunuchs that served as his staff beaten regularly. His advisors tried to get the emperor to ease off on the men but to no avail. Puyi even confessed that "my cruelty and love of wielding power were already too firmly set for persuasion to have any effect on me." And tis did not bode well for Wanrong.
On the wedding day of Puyi and Wanrong, Puyi also married his first chosen bride to be-Wenxiu on that same day.
Official historical record states that Emperor Puyi walked into the matrimonial chambers, and upon seeing his two young brides, his terror and inexperience made him run away and did not consummate the marriage. Rumors of his possible homosexuality have since surfaced, including the disturbing details that include his desire for young girls as well the sodomizing of equally young pageboys.
Wanrong was actually struggling into her new life as empress at her young age because of pressure and high expectation of the people of China on her.
There was a coup that happenwd that threw them out. Puyi, Wanrong, and Wenxiu moved out of The Forbidden City and took up residence in the Quiet Garden Villan in Tianjin.
Because of Wanrong's opium addiction, she not only suffered from physical illness but from mental illness as well. Her mental health was so concerning that she was found wandering her home naked upon occasion.
Though Wanrong and Wenxiu had experienced tensions and considered each other their rival, they were also the only friends they had. Both women had not bargained for a life in exile, and after the 1924 coup, and years away from The Forbidden City, Wenxiu had finally had enough and decided to divorce Puyi. Which left Wanrong alone at Puyi's care. After Wenxiu left Emperor Puyi started to make some very questionable choices.
Whne the Japan offered Puyi the position of the ruler in Manchuko, Wanrong tried desperately to dissuade her husband from taking on the role, but he ignored her. Life for Wanrong in Japan was proving to be a living nightmare. She was lonely and despised by the people, and ignored by her husband. Not long after the coronation, she attempted to flee Manchukou several times.
Wanrong felt helpless, and somehow knew she was never going to get away from her husband. She began to betray Puyi with his 2 personal aides and got pregnant by 1 of them. This was the time that Wanrong gave an option to either accept the child as his or let them both leave outside. Then Puyi lied and killed the daughter or Wanrong. This made Wanrong depress and worsen her mental health. She got so addicted to opium and had horrific withdrawal symptom.
She then lost her mind. The withdrawal symptoms caused Wanrong to hallucinate, and she became delusional. At one point she believed she was still the Empress and began demanding that the guards bring her fresh clothing, baths, food, and more opium. Of course, she received none of this, except for jeering and laughter from her onlookers. Her delusions got even worse and Wanrong started screaming and crying for her daughter - the baby whom her husband had killed. She received no sympathy from the people guarding her and those that traveled from afar to watch her through the bars of her cell.
Those that were guarding Wanrong saw her as merely an extension of the evil Puyi, and since they couldn't get their hands on Puyi, they exacted their revenge on his wife.
Wanrong died of malnutrition and opium addiction.
Puyi found out that Wantong died but had known nothing of her demise, and upon reading the letter he was quite emotionless.
This was really the tragic story of the Last empress of China. Her brother would perform a burial ritual for her in 2006 by burying a photograph of her. The ritual was performed so that she could finally rest in peace. 😔
:excerpted some frm an article
He liked young girls... but his brides were already young. both 12 yo.. .. I'm guessing he actually liked boys.. undeveloped girls are similar to boys in the beginning without the chest or the more femine features.
@@julial3758 I believe Wanrong was 15 when she married him - same age as him. Wenxiu was 12.
@@julial3758 he was a young boy
Nah noo I feel sad reading all this. Human can be so cruel to another human.😭😭
What, puyi actually killed her daughter?
This Wenxiu brave for her decision to divorce at that time many girl married in royal family will be cofined there forever or either One Step Empress cut her hair also like divorce but Wanrong really love him thats why she didnt want divorce just like Wenxiu did? Or just for luxurious life? #womenrights
@Yen Chern Soh oooh I got it Thank You
I don't think she still loved him, at least from the day Manchukuo was established (1932). Better go through some analysis:
- Did she really love him after all? Or at least just before she had affairs by the time she was Empress in Manchukuo? Probably a little, perhaps very little because there relationship has greatly deteriorated ever since Wenxiu divorced him. Even before that, many people had heard the couple yelling at each other for quite many times due to very nonsensical reasons. Did they love each other? Yes they did, albeit not as much as other loving couples smooching with each other, but there were real chemistry between these two. However, Wanrong could no longer stand him as he joined the Japanese side (she detested Japanese) and gradually neglected his wife to devote to his pursuit of restoring the old Qing empire, taking over the entire China once again like his ancestors used to. Real suspects (probably Japanese or servants at their palace in Manchukuo) claimed that Wanrong despised her husband, performing skits mocking her husband in front of the servants (behind Puyi's back, of course) by wearing sunglasses (Puyi frequently wore sunglasses, even indoors) and imitating her husband's jerky movements. They did not even have dinner with each other during the time from 1934 to 1937. I could say that she did love her husband, but hardly after he became a puppet emperor.
- Did she just follow Puyi in order to lead a lavish life? She did, yes she did. Despite hating the Japanese and knowing that working for them and living under their surveillance could only bring unfavorable consequences, she still decided to move to Manchukuo after her husband did a couple months in 1932. She knew that she had no choice but to follow him, otherwise she could hardly or even no longer live a luxurious life as she wanted (her family would definitely not tolerate and care for her if she seperated herself from Puyi, it's a matter of Chinese old-fashioned ideas, just look at Wenxiu living a harsh life after divorcing Puyi and you will see). Why couldn't she live a poor life yet recieving freedom like Wenxiu did? The answer is simple, because she had never lived a poor, impoverished life before, but Wenxiu did, and that could be a terrifying experience for a lady coming from the class, having extravagant habits like Wanrong, who has never even really known how severe "poverty" could be. Her pragmatic mindset when she decided to follow Puyi whatsoever in order to live lavishly is something that could be blamed for, but also could be sympathized as well if you try to analyze her concurrent situation and also her dark prospect if she decided to divorce her sadistic and neglectful husband. Fortunately she still regretted for following Puyi to Manchuko not long after he was set up. Overall, was it about a lavish life that Wanrong insisted on following and not divorcing Puyi? Yes, I could say, but she may no longer consider this as , in general, a priviledge as her days being puppet Empress went by.
if this story was told to me without telling me the age and name of this empress, i wouldve thought she was a 50 year old person, with such a life experience, its really very sad to see that someone this talented and beautiful had her fate totally changed just because of a marriage
I’m from amarica and I’m so fascinated by Chinese culture and history
Did you just spell the name of your own country wrong?
To bad in china nobody taught this
@@Ava-fl7hd lol I just noticed XD
amarica😭😭
@@proudhindugirl4115 Hey Proud Hindu, How you doing?
Very interesting... seems like they were all unhappy.
I find wangrong really pretty
Same.She truly is beautiful.
She definitely is, compared with those in the old photos.
Sulli, the late Kpop star, seems to be the evolved version of her
@@torigoth7487 that was what I was thinking, she is more attractive in my personal opinion compared to the other concubines that were photographed
For those arguing about beauty. You have to remember the first and most obvious, that beauty is subjective. Everyone has different preferences. This leads HEAVILY into the next main point. Ancient dynastical Chinese beauty standards are no where close to today's Western standards. Rather than looking at a woman and classifying her as beautiful, Chinese culture back then based beauty on what would bring wealth, prosperity, health, plenty of children, luck, etc to a man and his family/name. Fengshui, yin and yang energies, shamans, and even birthdays would dictate a woman's value and beauty. If she was prosperous and had good aura, that would also make her more beautiful and desirable to people.
Her life would turn out better if she marry a normal man. She herself very smart.
He neglected his second wife at the beginning when he lost her,he suddenly mad blame wanrong and ignore her???? And then when he lost wanrong he said if she didn't marry him she can escape that fate,as if he's blaming himself. You should treasure those who by your side because if you lost them there will be no turning back!!
Her death is truly cruel and tragic. No one deserves that.
No wonder his dynasty collapsed. Puyi is somehow so similar with Nicholas II. They lack leadership skills.
Out of all the three, Wenxiu was the victor. She did not commit adultery like Wanrong. She simple divorces and left. She had traditional Chinese, not western education like Wanrong, yet she was the emancipated and modern one ☝️ I am sure her descendants are in a far better state than Puyi’s.
Wenxiu died cause her new husband Could not afford her medical bills I was so sad about it
According to God of the Bible, whoever initiated that divorce is still comitting adultery. Wenxiu also never had children and died at 43 from heart failure. No one won in this situation since it's doubtful any of them knew God sadly.
@@MissLexi333 as a christian i think God is smart enough to know that wenxiu did the right thing plus maybe he is smart enough to know that she didn't know God at that time
@@MissLexi333 Divorce is allowed in Bible if the so called partner is a sexual immoral person and Pu Yi was a playboy on top of having more than one wife. So Wenxiu divorcing him wasn't a sin as per Christianity.
My jaw just dropped at the mention of god and the bible regarding the mid 1900s HISTORY…. IN China! 🤦♂️
PuYi was a jerk, he refused to see he was the problem
thats the way he was bought up, he was the emperor afterall..
He wanted to be Emperor again.
Puyi killed his wife Wanrong who is heartbroken and ignored and smoked opium so ended her life. Tragic relationship.
@@keanming99 well, yeah! PuYi was a toxic sociopath.
I mean what do you expect when you crown a little kid as emperor.
If they dont like WenXiu, why even put up her picture at the first place lol
Probably the status. From what I read and watched, a lot of times when it comes to marriage in the royal family they don’t get to pick who they liked it’s more so they look at her background and status, as that to them is far more important than anything. They don’t look at her looks they don’t look at the liking it’s the status that is valued.
@@sagisdoodleverse9696 it's mentioned in the video that WenXiu's family is not prominent
@@myeongwol oh. Well. Then idk. I did hear a explanation on another channel, but forget what it was.
@@myeongwol It was a powerplay between 2 Imperial Noble Consorts Tatara who preferred Wanrong and Jingyi who pushed for Wenxiu. Pu yi actually chose Wenxiu and that pissed off Lady Tatara who didn't consider Wenxiu pretty enough nor rich enough plus she was only 12 years old. Tatara eventually got her way when he was pressured to pick Wanrong. It's Wenxiu who was lucky. After her divorce from Pu Yi she remarried and worked as a teacher. She didn't succumb to opium and stopped cutting herself. Pu Yi said of Wenxiu that she demonstrated willpower and courage during the proceedings.
@@einezcrespo2107 thanks... that's interesting
Wanrong was stunning! Such a sad,short life!
A lot of people say wanrong had potential for something more or better life but y’all ignoring the fact that she got along with puyi who is reportedly considered mean and was mean to wenxiu. If she married another person and had another life she’d probably still treat people (like wenxiu) the same. You can’t fight what you really are. She got along with puyi cuz her and puyi had same (mean) heart.
This video doesn't go into details but she didn't get along with puyi .In fact piyu ignored her for most of her adult life. When they were still teens he loved her and engaged in conversation with her.He did spend time with wenxiu and was more intimate with her then wanrong which is why she was always jealous of wenxiu. We forget that she lost her baby after she lost her hope of being a mother she lost her sanity too.If she had been married to another man who didnt kill her baby then she would of been better then she is now.
You don't even know her personally, so how could you describe Wanrong as having a evil heart. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't you know that?!
China was a male dominated OR male oriented society. (women survived horrific events, for example, crushing the feet to look like Lilly flowers, etc). I am so happy that this era of Chinese history has been laid to rest. I hope that globally, Women can be human beings as mens equals.
I'm waiting on that whole equality thing between men & women to happen
@@emmathomas5385 I only know that she lived in exile after they murdered her illegitimate baby with the chauffeur
@Hadi Kosh In the entire history of the Chinese Dynasties, there was only one (1) female ruler. Her name was Empress Wu. Otherwise, every dynasty was ruled by men.
@Hadi Kosh I agree with u and I am not a men
The whole world was like that what do you expect
Heavily addicted with opium, the last empress of China’s last known location was the prison.. how tragic
for me Empress Wanrong was a very strong person who didn't leave the emperor side knew her ethics, followed the royalty's duty and was loyal though the emperor didn't care for her
I admire the Empress and her bravery even though she was lonely and mentally unstable.
An ethical person does not have sex with strangers and get pregnant!
@@Dhruv_Dogra Part of the court, so hardly strangers. Also, her so-called husband didn't touch her...only a moralistic idiot could blame her for seeking affection and attention.
@@laurab5750 They responding to op's comment regarding her having ethics and loyalty to the Emperor. They're not wrong.
@@laurab5750imagine justifying adultery dude
@@Dhruv_Dogra her husband cheated on her repeatedly, I think that her cheating on him is entirely justified
Loneliness and neglect can really torment the soul. Together by not by choice and tormented by fate.
Watched the movie - The Last Emperor. The above report was how I remember the movie was portraited.
This Puyi guy was no good. Such a tragic tale of a beautiful Chinese Empress.
Many Famous People had Tragic Lives ... So have Universal Loving Kindness & Compassion + Wisdom to All of Us ... Make each other Happy while we are still capable , as Life Is Short ... May the innocents be Blessed to a Better & Realm! 🌷🌿🌍
Consorts: Made to choose the emperor for a bride
Emperor: chooses
Consort: she's 12, wasn't pretty, not prominent. NO GOOD
Emperor: wtf? 🙄
Thank u for share sad story ¡¡👍its hard but its historia..
Wow what great story. Everybody story as great as this
Good video. I never quite understood the marriage set=up in Bertolucci's film. Your video made the relationship between the 3 clearer to me. Thank you.
*This is literally like almost every C Drama I’ve ever seen: “Wanrong & the Fallen Emperor” or “The Emperor’s Choice” or “The Forgotten Consort” or “The Sad Empress” or “After the Fall” It can go so many ways*
*”Puyi’s Pick”*
Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.
Factual Error: Wanrong was NOT "the Last Empress of China". She was only married to Puyi in 1922. Puyi, known as Emperor Xuantong of Qing, abdicated in 1912, which marked the end of the Qing dynasty as China's central government. Pursuant to the Instrument of Abdication, which remained legally valid until 1924, the government of Republic of China continued to recognize Puyi's imperial title and treat him according to the protocol befitting a foreign monarch over the next 12 years. In other words, up until Feb 12th, 1912, Puyi was the Emperor of China. From that day onward until 1924, he was the Emperor of Qing (as recognized by Republic of China). in comparison Wanrong was legitimately the Empress of Qing between 1922 and 1924. She was never the Empress of China, however, as China ceased being a monarchy more than a decade before her wedding. 1922 was already the 10th year of the Republic era.
The Qing Dynasty wasnt even ethnic Han Chinese anyways. They have more in common with Mongolian and Turkic people culturally and linguistically up til they assimilated into Chinese culture sometime in the 1800s onward.
They began their rule of China in and around 1644 and used the title Khan and Beili(related to Mongolian Khan and Bek and Turkic Khan and Bey/Beg) They were also famed horse archers. Their cultural relation to Turks and Mongols were also shown in their central asian style shaved head and pony tail hairstyle of nomads they forced on the Chinese. A hair style also seen in Ukrainian cossacks who borrowed it from Turkic Tatars. Manchus or Jurchens spoke a Siberian Tungusic language with is a Spachbund to Turkic and Mongolic languages.
Wanrong was loved by her husband while Wenxiu was neglected. Wanrong enjoyed her life with husband and other luxurious but at the end her death was miserable. While Wenxiu who was deprived from her husband's love, divorced him and had her own set of hardship but ended up marring second tym and till death her husband was by her side.
Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo
The trauma of loosing a baby can drive a women mad 😞
Empress was so beautiful 😍
instead of thinking Emperor Xuantong, Aisin Gioro Puyi was a jerk, why not think of it another way. He was the grandson of Lady YeheNara Wanzhen and also Empress Dowager Cixi's younger sister. Who is Wanzhen and how is she important here? She is the birth mother of Aisin Gioro Zaitian, Emperor Guangxu. Cixi forcefully took Gwangxu away when he was young after Emperor Tongzhi died at the age of 20(+). Wanzhen hated her sister all her life for taking away her son. Even tho Cixi gave her a lot of taels and cloths, Wanzhen refused it. Thereafter, Emperor Gwangxu who defied Cixi multiple times got into house arrest and Cixi knew she had to have an heir in order to restore the Imperial Power. And so, she aimed her eyes on Zaifeng's children again. This time it was young child Puyi. She knew that Puyi was young and would have no thoughts of his own, prehaps it seemed better this way anyway. And so, again... Wanzhen's grandson was taken away. Now Puyi isnt related to Wanzhen biologically, but bcs Wanzhen is the main wife of the Prince Chun manor, he still had to respect her in some way. With the heir picked and Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Gwangxu died within two days... Puyi's child reign started. Puyi grew up in the forbidden city, hearing tales of his great ancestors who managed to rule over China proper. He was known as an Emperor and he only knew that his whole life. He was surrounded by servants, eunuchs who would listen to whatever he had to say. He had no idea who else to rely on because he only had his nanny with him. He didnt know what it meant, as a child who came into this world, his role was to rule over China, just like his ancestors did. Prehaps now people will think Emperor Kangxi also took over the throne when he was young... but the difference is, afterall all these years, ever since Emperor Jiaqing's reign came about, corruption and embezzlement seemed uncontrollable. So his reign was a tricky one, because there was literally no money in the Royal Safe... Emperor Qianlong's love for fun and excursions caused the financial status to go down, his father saved up so much but he spent it so quickly...
So when Puyi was chased away from the Forbidden City, he was confused and lost. He only knew how to be an Emperor and ofc w Wanrong, she was Empress her whole life. Why would she bow down to people? These two were special because they were the only few Chinese Royals who embraced the culture of western influence, Puyi loved cycling and he would play badminton with his two consorts. After they got kicked out of the Forbidden City, Wanrong became addicted to opium.. Thereafter came Japanese rule in Manchuko, as Emperor Kangde just a puppet and a mere influencial figure over the manchus and chinese. Hoping they would follow. Puyi prehaps wanted it in hopes of restoring Qing, how would anyone face their ancestors if the dynasty ended in their hands? Afterwards, Wanrong got pregnant w a guard's baby but miscarried, the miscarriage caused her to lose sanity and she was evermore addicted to opium, thus she was hardly ever conscious. Her ladies-in-waiting didnt even want to serve her because she was crazy, often craddling a rolled up towel. Then, the Soviets captured Wanrong after ww2 stretched over to Asia Pacific, she had hallucinations that she was in the Forbidden City again, however the effects of not taking in opium got to her and eventually Wanrong died, where she is buried is unknown. As for Puyi, his life seemed like a mistake, going into prison for a crime he unknowingly committed. Puyi's life was constantly controlled by others... all because he was an "Emperor". I think the greatest mistake was not his reign, he only wanted the best and he did his best. The greatest mistake is to be part of the Aisin Gioro Clan. He is probably also the only person who has to buy a ticket to go home (Forbidden City). As for Puyi's abusive behaviour, prehaps think of it another way... his whole life was surrounded by servants, the only mother he had was his nanny and there was no one else.. He didnt know how to love someone because the love between an Emperor and an Empress is different from a man and a woman.
I thought that the baby was ordered by puyi to be killed because it's not his? I also believe he had the desire to become a good emperor and to regain the glory of his dynasty as it had once been before. That was why he agreed to a coalition with the japanese who promised him to bring back his crown. But I don't think he could become a good ruler if he didn't know that the japanese were manipulating him.
Empress was so beautiful ❤️
I read an account written by Puyi (probably heavily censored by the CCP), mainly about the time when he was, "Emperor of Manchukuo" (the Japanese puppet state of Munchuria). Puyi claimed ancestral ties to Manchuria, because of his Manchu roots in the Qing Dynasty, but he was a puppet emperor of the Japanese in all but name. In his account, Puyi barely mentioned his empress consort Wanrong, and when he did it was only in passing reference to her opium addiction. I think the relationship between Puyi and Wanrong was fragile and superficial. Like Wanrong, Puyi was captured by the Soviets, held in a comfortable prison in Siberia, and then released to the CCP a few years later. Unlike Wanrong, Puyi survived his sojourn in the CCP jail, had his airs and graces removed from him by his separation from his relations and learned to tie his own shoelaces and wash, dress and groom himself. He was later released (when "reformed") and given a job as a gardener in the old imperial palace grounds in Beijing and remarried an ordinary Manchu woman. Mao Zedong perceived Puyi as a useful puppet, less aggressively than the Japanese, but a puppet like; " see we didn't shoot him like the Soviets had done to the Romanovs". The story of Wanrong is sad and pathetic. Her fate was deliberately covered up by Puyi and others.
Thank you "Unofficial Strieber Vault" for suggesting Wanrong 😊
7oI
2:06 this photo was taken at the rock garden in the Forbidden City. Seems doubtful it was before the wedding.
You have a good eye :) Based on the source I used, it was taken before the end of the 3-day coronation in the palace. Probably the 1st day she came..
Sorry, hard to read subtitles especially against light or white background, would it be fine to switch to black bars style?
Rest in heaven young lady your in our thoughts and dreams
Wanrong was absolutely ❤️. She was also raised to be intelligent.
Nice
Such a sad and bittersweet story~
i would say wanrong became bit too immoral at the end,she began to write bully letters to wenxiu ,smoked heavy tobacco and had secret affairs.
Yes correct, everyone is feeling bad for her and ignoring the bad things that she has done.
So true and she did bad things too but is being painted as a victim.
@@ysheen718 Because she did those due to the terrible life she has? Did you even watch the video?
@@princess7jasmine Lmao, having a bad life doesn't mean you can be rude to others, if this is valid, everyone can do bad things and say it's because they've been having a hard time to cover it up
@@ysheen718 It doesn't excuse their actions, but it's perfectly understandable to be sympathetic to them. I'm sorry your parents didn't teach you basic empathy.
at 4:16 one of those poeple is Reginald Johnston, Puyi's tutor.
Très triste la fin de vie de Wanrong. Si intelligente, si instruite et si belle, sans épouser PuYi sa vie eût pu être si complète sans doute.
Thank you. Nice because I can know the history
Her father was for gender equality? Now that's what's up my guy👏👏
What a tragic life
So why did Wanrong stay? Was it because she felt dutiful or because she couldn't give up the lifestyle that gave her opium and nice things? Her treatment of Wenxiu, someone who was even more of a child than her, pisses me off. She was literally the empress;why was she taunting this girl who is in the same/worse predicament? In the end, Wenxiu got a better ending.
She deserved better!!!
Anyone would go crazy under these circumstances at her age
She's rude to Wenxiu, even though it's already obvious that Wenxiu was harmless. Please don't say it was because of her love towards her husband, as a human, use some rationality.
Anyway, her ending was a real tragedy.
Considering what I know about Puyi, this is quite tame.
I'm actually shocked how similar Wanrong and K-pop idol Sulli look like. Especially on the photo 7:32
Ladies who lives in that area look the same (the entire Manchuria till Korean peninsula)
Omg they are so young...
Such a sad story.
The problem here really is puyi, but also still wenxiu has better character than wanrong
Your voice makes me sleepy ✌️ Nice story btw☺️
Am I mistaken? I thought you said in the video that you talked about Wenxiu, that they did not compete and had a good relationship with each other. They use to write letters asking how their health was doing?
Such a sad story for such a long history nation.
What is the name of the music?
Can you talk about Pujie (puyi’s brother) and his Japanese wife who is a princess
And what about the others siblingss, were they shot or poisonned?
She was very pretty
I like your editing style, could you tell me which software did you use?
Thanks! I used Adobe Premiere Pro.
@@storyofhistoricalfigures9278 Thanks for the reply!
Heart breaking 😢
The narrator’s voice is so pleasing; I’ll bet she’s just as pretty as WanRong
Beautiful voice☺️
She went mad bc her husband, Pu Yi, was closetedly gay.
Their marriage was never consummated.
In the movie "The Last Emperor" Wan Rong became pregnant and bore a child she had with a young Japanese general, but the child was quickly killed by the Japanese after birth.
This supposedly is what drove Wan Rong insane in the end.
The winner was wenxiu because she was freed from an unhappy marriage by getting a divorce. Wanrong should have taken her cue and divorced puyi and she might have escaped from a miserable life with puyi. Imo, she had many Inhibitions that stopped her from divorcing. Imo, either she was too attached to the crown as the queen consort or she wouldn't want to embarrass her emperor husband if she asked for a divorce like what wenxiu did. What wenxiu did was so brave at her time. That was the 1st time a concubine had abandoned and got separated from the emperor. A first in chinese history
Wanrong's family reputation was on the line too if she did something like that. Wenxiu didn't come from a prestigious family so she didnt have other people to protect other than herself. I guess Wanrong also became used to being an Empress since she became one as a teen.
Yes Wenxiu did it well
she looks like Sulli 07:36
Such an interesting video, pity about the music it was overpowering.
The sheer ineptitude of the Manchus brought about the century of humiliation and ultimately the demise of Imperial China. The Qing dynasty was an utter disgrace.
It’s the other way, the Manchurians saved China from the Corrupt Ming dynasty and made China great again. In their rule of 3 centuries, they added more territories to China. If not for the Manchu Qing dynasty, there would be no China today, and you Jonathan ng would have not existed today. They were weakened by wars with Japan and all the Europeans and USA wanted a piece of China. You should give Thanks to the Manchu Qing dynasty!!!
It was all because of that evil empress dowager, cixi. She wasthe ultimate cause of qing's downfall.
Chinese royals history is fascinating - as westerners we look at the pictures and only see the remarkable attire and dead serious faces..meanwhile behind closed gates 😳
Woah, that's a harsh way to describe an impress by calling her crazy. You could have used better pick of words!
That was a sad story,but at least he stilled cared if not anything else,but still sad!!!!!!!!
What happened to Wenxui life after the divorce?
I read somewhere that wenxiu lived in poverty after the divorce
Wanrong was well educated (not talking about beauty and stuff) still Wenxiu was smart enough...
Imagine being an emperor of modern day China, the second most powerful country in the world, if puyi has tried hard.
China wouldn't be a superpower today if there's still an emperor, semi feudal system.
@@missc6826 Are you still believing western propaganda? It's not the system it's people and leader.
Don't forget this woman not only cheated on him with two Chinese retainers but also through her own brother that got her into the official harem she gave birth to a random Japanese CO in the military.
Poor Puyi his whole story is one sad story after another. He didn't deserve any of his four wives even if he was a monster himself.
I would like to know what happened to WenXiu after the divorce. Did she live well? did she get married again? those sort of things
Yes she did married again but her husband was very poor and she died in poverty in the end
☹
@@NoorKhan-rr8yt That's really sad 😔
@@ruru429 yes none of them have good fortune
@@NoorKhan-rr8yt You never considered if she was happy or not. Instead you automatically assumed she was miserable because she "died in poverty" and everyone agrees. Humans have always wrongly conflated wealth with happiness. Remember - she was an Emperor's #1 consort. For her to trade that for a poor husband means she discovered things that were more important than wealth or power. Love, for instance.
Listen up everyone please. Dying in poverty should be your goal. Spend all your money before you die and leave just enough for you funeral expenses and none for anyone else, not even your kids because 1. They should learn to work for what they want and not expect free wealth from dead relatives and 2. From every example I've seen and experienced inheritances only tear families apart.
If its your money and you worked hard for it then spend it all before you go because you can't take it with you and if you can't spend it all then give it away to good causes. Let your money make you happy and die broke! That's the way to go! 👍
Do watch the last emperor . A masterpiece of bernardo bertuloci . U all will be fascinated.
MARRIAGE LEADS TO DESTRUCTION in her case ....sad
Women in those times, and those stations were practically groomed to be fully dependent on their husbands, and yet he abandoned her while he escaped. Hope his genes ended with him.
I know that she did not have children but Puyi did can you make a video about him and his mother
Her husband left her cause he was pissed at her...SMH
Ooooh okay is the movie The Last Emperor based off this?
Good movie during the 80's the last emperor.