The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City
By: Paul French
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‘An urgent, vivid narrative.’ The Daily Telegraph
‘A vivid portrayal of the doomed world of Puyi, the last man to sit on the Dragon Throne.’ The Times
‘This is the amazing story of China’s last imperial ruler and his gilded life in the Forbidden City.’ The Mail on Sunday
Step into the otherworldly splendour of the Forbidden City, its red walls and golden rooftops shimmering at the heart of Peking…
In the early 1920s, China’s boy ruler Puyi and his child young bride Wanrong were sequestered within the ancient citadel: a city-within-a-city, a haven prohibited to all except the imperial family and its scheming courtiers, fawning servants and corrupt eunuchs. An emperor without an empire, Puyi did not know from one day to the next whether he would experience restoration or assassination. Two years later, the couple was expelled into eternal exile, bringing an end to the centuries-old Manchu dynasty.
This extraordinary scenario has captivated us for generations – but we have not known the full story. Now, bestselling historian Paul French draws upon previously unpublished sources, including memoirs, diaries and letters, to take us deep inside the hidden world of Puyi and Wanrong and the cast of colourful characters that surrounded them. In this crucial period decisions of great consequence were made that would determine the future of the royal couple – and of China.
What emerges is a sweeping tale of tradition and revolution, of duty and intrigue – and a young married couple facing a hostile world. It is a mesmerising portrait of a dying regime: the final days of Imperial China as they have never been seen before.
“Paul French matches deep, original research with his unrivalled knowledge of the period to set a spark to the dust of history, conjuring into vivid life the formerly black-and-white figures of China’s last emperor and his consort. The Last Emperor of China is another tour de force of historical writing and a fresh, human take on a critical period of change in China.” Simon Elegant, China Bureau Chief, Washington Post
“Scouring freshly surfaced sources, Paul French brings the strange, fraught last years of dynastic China to new, startling life. Whether you know nothing about this time or already know quite a lot, never mind. Pick this up! You will be fascinated.” Gish Jen, author of Bad Bad Girl
“Such a pivotal moment in Chinese history could only be entrusted to a historian of exceptional sensitivity and insight. Reading The Last Emperor of China reassures us from the very first pages that we are in the hands of a master storyteller and scholar.” Xiaolu Guo, author of Radical, and My Battle of Hastings
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‘I was enthralled to read this new history by China expert French, based on new sources and focusing on the neglected period prior to Puyi’s expulsion from the Forbidden City in 1924. Illustrated with stunning contemporary photographs, it sheds new light on Puyi’s relationship with his wide Wanrong, and his first consort Wenxiu.’
- Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller -
‘Such a pivotal moment in Chinese history could only be entrusted to a historian of exceptional sensitivity and insight. Reading The Last Emperor of China reassures us from the very first pages that we are in the hands of a master storyteller and scholar.’
- Xiaolu Guo, author of Radical, and My Battle of Hastings -
‘Paul French has done it again- using previously unexplored letters, diaries and photographs, he illuminates a brief period of relaxation when the last Emperor, still effectively imprisoned in the Forbidden City, enjoyed playing with puppies, climbing on yellow-tiled roofs, playing tennis, dressing-up and laughing with his two consorts.’
- Frances Wood, former Keeper of the Chinese Collections in the British Library, author of The Forbidden City -
‘Scouring freshly surfaced sources, Paul French brings the strange, fraught last years of dynastic China to new, startling life. Whether you know nothing about this time or already know quite a lot, never mind. Pick this up! You will be fascinated.’
- Gish Jen, author of Bad Bad Girl -
‘This is a deeply researched, intensely realised new and original biography of China’s last emperor Puyi and his court. In signature style, Paul French brings to life a dazzlingly complex cast of characters and evokes their tumultuously fascinating context.’
- Professor Julia Lovell, author of The Opium War and The Great Wall -
‘Paul French matches deep, original research with his unrivalled knowledge of the period to set a spark to the dust of history, conjuring into vivid life the formerly black and white figures of China’s last emperor and his consort. The Last Emperor of China is another tour de force of historical writing and a fresh, human take on a critical period of change in China.’
- Simon Elegant, China Bureau Chief, Washington Post -
‘An urgent, vivid narrative.’
- The Daily Telegraph -
‘This is the amazing story of China’s last imperial ruler and his gilded life in the Forbidden City … This is a surreal and upsetting story, which French writes with a verve that brings the magnificence and miseries of the Forbidden City to life. The eye-opening biography lays bare the character of a ‘modest and intelligent’ boy, doomed to be, according to one American journalist, ‘the least consequential monarch on Earth’.’
- The Mail on Sunday -
‘A vivid portrayal of the doomed world of Puyi, the last man to sit on the Dragon Throne … French, a Sinologist who lived in Shanghai for many years, relates his vignettes with an antiquarian’s appetite for oddballs and outlandish curios.’
- The Times -
‘French’s great strength as a writer is the ability to convey complex historical events without sacrificing readability. The scholarship is substantial … yet the narrative seldom loses momentum … This is a book for readers drawn to the intimate textures of history, those who find the human detail more revealing than grand sweeps of political chronology. It will appeal particularly to anyone with an interest in late-imperial China, the strange twilight world of treaty-port Asia, or the dynamics of colonial encounters. Readers who came to Puyi through Bertolucci will find their understanding quietly deepened, and perceptions substantially shifted.’
- Asian Review of Books
