Princess Yunxin was the fifth sister of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. When Puyi was Emperor, Princess Yunxin’s relationship with him was not close. She saw him as her ruler and not her brother.[1] It was not until Emperor Puyi was pardoned as a war criminal that the two began to have a close relationship. Emperor Puyi lived with Princess Yunxin, and she began to see him as her brother.[2] Even though Emperor Puyi’s imperialist dreams fell, it allowed him to live a quiet life and form a closer bond with his fifth sister.
In 1917, Princess Yunxin was born in Beijing. She was the fifth daughter of Zaifeng, the Prince of Chun. Her mother was Lady Denggiya, who was Prince Zaifeng’s concubine. She had three older brothers, four older sisters, one younger brother, and two younger sisters. Her eldest brother, Puyi, was the deposed Emperor of China. She did not have a close relationship with Emperor Puyi.[3] When she first arrived at the Forbidden City to see her older brother, there were too many rules installed in the palace for her to feel comfortable with Emperor Puyi.[4] Instead, her first meeting with her brother made her very afraid of him.[5]
When Puyi became the puppet Emperor of the state of Manchukuo, Princess Yunxin followed him to Changchun.[6] They were still not close. Their relationship was strictly ruler and subject.[7] She was the only sister of Emperor Puyi that always bowed in his presence.[8] It was not until he was released from being a war criminal that Princess Yunxin and Emperor Puyi finally had a loving brother-sister relationship.[9]
Emperor Puyi wanted to bring an important former Qing dynasty official named Wan Sheng to his side.[10] He arranged Princess Yunxin’s marriage to Wan Sheng’s son, Wan Jiaxi, who was also a former classmate of Prince Pujie.[11] Wan Sheng became a minister of the puppet state of Manchukuo.[12] Shortly after their marriage, Emperor Puyi sent Wan Jiaxi to study abroad in Japan.[13] Princess Yunxin stayed behind in Changchun.[14] After he returned to China, Wan Jiaxi became an instructor at Manchukuo’s military academy.[15] Princess Yunxin and Wan Jiaxi had three sons and one daughter.[16]
On 18 August 1945, the puppet state of Manchukuo fell. Wan Jiaxi was captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union.[17] He was sentenced to hard labour and was sent to a farm to do construction work.[18] A few years later, he would be sent to China, where he remained in prison until 1952.[19] This forced Princess Yunxin to support herself and her children. She worked as a maid for a wealthy man.[20] Then, she worked as a waitress at a hotel.[21]
After the founding of New China, the new government helped Princess Yunxin find a job because of her status as a Princess of the Qing Dynasty.[22] The job they found for Princess Yunxin was as an accountant at a state-run hotel.[23] Princess Yunxin was able to make a steady income.[24] In 1952, Wan Jiaxi was finally pardoned as a war criminal and released from prison.[25] Princess Yunxin was reunited with her husband. Because he was proficient in Japanese, her husband quickly got a job as a translator.[26] In 1960, Emperor Puyi was released from prison. Even though they did not have a close relationship when he was the Emperor, Puyi lived with Princess Yunxin and her family for a period of time.[27] The two finally formed a close and loving relationship, Princess Yunxin began to see him as her brother and not her ruler.[28]
In 1972, Wan Jiaxi died of a cerebral haemorrhage.[29] Princess Yunxin decided to go to college. She attended college and eventually graduated.[30] During the last years of her life, she lived in a house with her granddaughter.[31] Her closest neighbour was her older brother, Prince Pujie.[32] Princess Yunxin passed away in 1998 at the age of eighty-one.
When Puyi was the puppet Emperor of Manchukuo, Yunxin lived a glamorous life as an imperial princess. After the fall of Manchukuo, Princess Yunxin lived a hard life for a period of time. Her husband was a war criminal and was sentenced to hard labour as a prisoner of the Soviet Union. Princess Yunxin went through two difficult jobs. It was not until the government helped her find a good job that her life had finally become stable. Because of the government’s help, Princess Yunxin was able to live the rest of her life in peace and comfort.
Sources:
DayDayNews. (September 9, 2019). “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/15339.html.
DayDayNews. (February 2, 2020). “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi, all beautiful and beautiful, what was the final outcome?”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/339037.html.
DayDayNews. (16 October, 2020). “What is the final outcome of Pu Yi’s seven sisters? Three people live to the 21st century”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/856197.html.
iMedia. (n.d.). “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/eac5239ca183e9f1f4d82dc168e8706e.html.
iNews. (n.d.). “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi are all superb, but the ending is different.”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/a63acf578e7646fa47708dcf6f6e263b.html.
iNews. (n.d.). “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”. Retrieved on 16 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 16 November 2022 from https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/1a79d_1bjoj.html.
Laitimes. (December 20, 2021). “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/1b6sa_1ckqe.html.
O’Callaghan, M. (20 November 1984) “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 16 November 2022 from https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/1984/1120/112040.html.
[1] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[2] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[3] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[4] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[5] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[6] iNews, n.d., “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi are all superb, but the ending is different.”
[7] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[8] DayDayNews, 2 February 2020, “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi, all beautiful and beautiful, what was the final outcome?”
[9] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[10] iNews, n.d., “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi are all superb, but the ending is different.”
[11] iMedia, n.d., “After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, who did the Grids marry?”
[12] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[13] iNews, n.d., “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi are all superb, but the ending is different.”
[14] iNews, n.d., “The seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi are all superb, but the ending is different.”
[15] DayDayNews, 16 October, 2020, “What is the final outcome of Pu Yi’s seven sisters? Three people live to the 21st century”
[16] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[17] DayDayNews, 16 October, 2020, “What is the final outcome of Pu Yi’s seven sisters? Three people live to the 21st century”
[18] DayDayNews, 16 October, 2020, “What is the final outcome of Pu Yi’s seven sisters? Three people live to the 21st century”
[19] DayDayNews, 16 October, 2020, “What is the final outcome of Pu Yi’s seven sisters? Three people live to the 21st century”
[20] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[21] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[22] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[23] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[24] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[25] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
[26] Laitimes, 20 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[27] Laitimes, 17 December 2021, “The last emperor Puyi had seven younger sisters, and what was the final fate of these sisters?”
[28] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[29] DayDayNews, 9 September 2019, “Puyi had seven sisters. What was their fate after the death of Qing Dynasty?”
[30] iNews, n.d., “What happened to the seven sisters of the last emperor Puyi?”
[31] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
[32] O’Callaghan, 20 November 1984, “Jin Yun Xin remembers her brother, the last Emperor of China”
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