Twilight in the Forbidden City
Encyclopedia
Twilight in the Forbidden City is Reginald Johnston
's 486-page memoir of the Xuantong
Emperor
or Henry Puyi as he eventually became known.
Johnston was tutor to the Emperor and an eyewitness to Chinese events in the years of the 1920s and 1930s. Johnston was also a professor of Chinese at the University of London
as well as the British Commissioner of Weihaiwei.
Johnston provides a good deal of anecdotal material for the last days of the Ch'ing (Qing Dynasty
) court before the 1911 Revolution. He knew many of the active players in those events, and of historical significance are his observations on the Ch'ing court's political structure, and in particular the Nei Wu Fu or Imperial Household Department. Johnston had little use for the Empress T'zu-hsi (Empress Dowager Cixi
) and many other principal players in these events.
Twilight in the Forbidden City is very much a history of an entire period and not an exclusive portrait of the last Emperor of China. The film The Last Emperor
features the book.
In the fourth impression, published in December 1934 by Victor Gollancz
Ltd., additional information such as the fully spread fan (pp 448–9) was developed and some important parts of the history, such as confinement of Ts'ao K'un (Cao Kun
) (p. 381) and K'ang You-wei's (Kang Youwei
) refuge country (p. 17), were reviewed for modification with "preface to the fourth impression" (p. 6) (Japanese translation; ISBN 4939154041).
Reginald Johnston
Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, KCMG, CBE, was a Scottish academic, diplomat and tutor to Puyi, the last emperor of China, and later appointed as the last Commissioner of Weihaiwei.-Early:...
's 486-page memoir of the Xuantong
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
Emperor
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
or Henry Puyi as he eventually became known.
Johnston was tutor to the Emperor and an eyewitness to Chinese events in the years of the 1920s and 1930s. Johnston was also a professor of Chinese at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
as well as the British Commissioner of Weihaiwei.
Overview
Twilight in the Forbidden City is prefaced by Puyi himself in the year 1931.Johnston provides a good deal of anecdotal material for the last days of the Ch'ing (Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) court before the 1911 Revolution. He knew many of the active players in those events, and of historical significance are his observations on the Ch'ing court's political structure, and in particular the Nei Wu Fu or Imperial Household Department. Johnston had little use for the Empress T'zu-hsi (Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
) and many other principal players in these events.
Twilight in the Forbidden City is very much a history of an entire period and not an exclusive portrait of the last Emperor of China. The film The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
features the book.
In the fourth impression, published in December 1934 by Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
Ltd., additional information such as the fully spread fan (pp 448–9) was developed and some important parts of the history, such as confinement of Ts'ao K'un (Cao Kun
Cao Kun
|-...
) (p. 381) and K'ang You-wei's (Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei , was a Chinese scholar, noted calligrapher and prominent political thinker and reformer of the late Qing Dynasty. He led movements to establish a constitutional monarchy and was an ardent Chinese nationalist. His ideas inspired a reformation movement that was supported by the Guangxu...
) refuge country (p. 17), were reviewed for modification with "preface to the fourth impression" (p. 6) (Japanese translation; ISBN 4939154041).
Publication history
- Reginald F. Johnston, Twilight in the Forbidden City, Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1934, 486 pp.
- Reginald F. Johnston, Twilight in the Forbidden City, Oxford University Press, 1985, 486 pp.
- Reginald F. Johnston, in the Forbidden City, Soul Care Publishing, 2008, 488 pp. with bonus previously unpublished chapter.