From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin‑Gioro Pu Yi

Article number 10218449

From Emperor to Citizen is the autobiography of Puyi, the last emperor of China, tracing his extraordinary life from a child enthroned as Qing Dynasty emperor to a man stripped of imperial power and eventually living as an ordinary citizen in the People’s Republic of China. The narrative details his early years in the Forbidden City, the complex political manipulations surrounding the fall of the Qing Dynasty, his coerced role as a puppet ruler under Japanese occupation in Manchuria, his subsequent imprisonment by Soviet and Chinese authorities, and his eventual reintegration into society, reflecting both personal transformation and the broader upheavals in 20th-century Chinese history. The book offers a rare insider perspective on monarchy, revolution, and adaptation in a rapidly changing nation.