Princess Yunxian was the fourth and least favourite sister of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. She received very little attention from her father, Prince Zaifeng. Despite receiving very little affection from both her father and brother, Princess Yunxian was a desirable candidate for marriage and had three suitors. After the fall of the state of Manchukuo, Princess Yunxian had to beg her relatives and friends for money. She eventually landed a job with a steady income.
In 1914, Princess Yunxian was born in Beijing. She was the fourth daughter of Zaifeng, the Prince of Chun. Her mother was Lady Denggiya, who was Prince Zaifeng’s concubine. She had two older brothers, three older sisters, two younger brothers, and three younger sisters. Her eldest brother, Puyi, was the deposed Emperor of China. Out of all of Prince Zaifeng’s seven daughters, Princess Yunxian was her father’s least favourite.[1] Because she was the daughter of a concubine, Emperor Puyi also greatly disliked her and mostly ignored her.[2] He did not treat her as well as her three older sisters.[3]
When Puyi became the puppet Emperor of Manchukuo in 1934, he began to look for a suitable husband for Princess Yunxian. Emperor Puyi decided that Princess Yunxian should marry the son of Leng Sheng (a Mongolian nobleman and the governor of Xing’an Northern Branch Province of the puppet state of Manchukuo).[4] Leng Sheng was very loyal to Emperor Puyi and did not trust the Japanese.[5] Leng Sheng believed that if his son married Princess Yunxian, Emperor Puyi would not be so heavily influenced by the Japanese.[6] However, the Japanese began to view Leng Sheng as a threat to their influence over Emperor Puyi.[7] They assassinated Leng Sheng. This frightened Emperor Puyi so badly that he cancelled the wedding between Princess Yunxian and Leng Sheng’s son.[8]
Emperor Puyi casually looked at other possible marriage candidates for Princess Yunxian. However, none of them appealed to him.[9] When a Japanese man asked Emperor Puyi for Princess Yunxian’s hand in marriage, it scared Emperor Puyi because of his distrust of the Japanese.[10] He realised he had to arrange his sister’s marriage quickly before she married a Japanese man.[11] Emperor Puyi arranged the marriage of Princess Yunxian to Zhao Qifan, a Mongolian nobleman and Emperor Puyi’s former classmate.[12] After the wedding, the couple left Beijing and moved to Changchun.[13] Zhao Qifan became Emperor Puyi’s bodyguard.[14] The couple had a son and a daughter.
In 1943, Princess Yunxian suffered from asthma. She returned to Beijing with her children to recover.[15] Because she was still in Beijing when the state of Manchukuo fell on 18 August 1945, the new government of China pardoned her and her children.[16] Princess Yunxian and her family often struggled to make a living. They had to borrow money from their friends and relatives.[17] In 1949, Zhao Qifan was declared a traitor under the founding of New China.[18] Zhao Qifan fled to Taiwan, abandoning Princess Yunxian and his children in Beijing.[19] She would not see him again until thirty-three years later.
Princess Yunxian continued to rely on her relatives and friends for money.[20] Because she was a Chinese princess, the government eventually helped her find a job as a librarian.[21] As a librarian, she was able to have a steady income. In 1982, Princess Yunxian was finally reunited with Zhao Qifan.[22] She died in 2003 at the age of eighty-nine.
Princess Yunxian had a hard time after the fall of China. She had to beg for money from those close to her. Due to her status as a Princess, the government of China found her a good and stable job. After over thirty years apart, Princess Yunxian was finally allowed to be with her husband. Thus, Princess Yunxian was eventually able to live peacefully and comfortably as an ordinary citizen.
Sources:
DayDayNews. (September 9, 2019). “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”. Retrieved on 15 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/15339.html.
iMedia. (n.d.). “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”. Retrieved on 15 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/eac5239ca183e9f1f4d82dc168e8706e.html.
iNews. (n.d.). “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?” Retrieved on 15 November 2022 from https://inf.news/ne/history/6ba8b7d02467d0430951d4307a8d09ac.html.
Laitimes. (December 17, 2021). “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”. Retrieved on 15 November 2022 from https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/1a79d_1bjoj.html.
[1] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[2] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[3] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[4] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[5] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[6] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[7] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[8] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[9] iMedia, n.d., “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”
[10] iMedia, n.d., “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”
[11] iMedia, n.d., “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”
[12] iMedia, n.d., “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”
[13] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[14] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[15] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
[16] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
[17] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
[18] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[19] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[20] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[21] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[22] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
I am enjoying this series about the seven sisters, They started out life as “royalty”. However, circumstances changed and they lost status. They managed to survive and found a place in society. The references seem biased at times, However, I would never had known about these women. It is refreshing to hear about women close to our time. They had a commonality with many of the historical women–arranged marriages, missing spouses.