Empress Wanrong

Empress Wanrong

Wanrong, also known as Xuantong Empress, was the Empress Consort of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. She was captured by Chinese Communist guerrillas and transferred to different locations before she was settled in a prison camp in Yanji, Jilin. She died in prison in around June or August 1946 and her remains were never found. On 23 October 2006, her younger brother, Runqi, conducted a ritual burial for her in the Western Qing tombs.

About Empress Wanrong in brief

Summary Empress WanrongWanrong, also known as Xuantong Empress, was the Empress Consort of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. In 1932, when the Empire of Japan established the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria, Wanrong became the empress. She was captured by Chinese Communist guerrillas and transferred to different locations before she was settled in a prison camp in Yanji, Jilin. She died in prison in around June or August 1946 and her remains were never found. On 23 October 2006, her younger brother, Runqi, conducted a ritual burial for her in the Western Qing tombs. She also adopted a Western name, Elizabeth, which was inspired by Elizabeth I of England, which she called her courtesy name Muhong and her art name was Zhilian. The Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and replaced by the Republic of China, marking the end of thousands of years of imperial rule in China. The former imperial family were granted special privileges by the Republican government, which allowed them to retain their imperial titles and be treated with respect. She often made telephone calls to her husband to make him feel less lonely, and she agreed. She wept numerous times before and during her wedding because she knew that she would end her days of freedom and happiness after she entered the Forbidden City.

Her wedding took place on 30 November 1922 at 0300 hours according to Manchu custom according to the custom of Manchu. She had a half-brother, Runliang, who was older than her by two years and a six-year-old half-sister, who was younger than she was. Her biological mother, Aisin-Gioro Hengxin, was the fourth daughter of Yuzhang and a granddaughter of Puxu. She died from childbed fever after giving birth to WanRong. Her father was Rongyuan, who served as a Minister of Domestic Affairs in the Qing imperial court. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he believed in gender equality so he arranged for Wanrongs to be educated in the same manner as her brothers. She attended an American missionary school in Tianjin, where she learned the English language and played the piano under the tutelage of Isabel Ingram. The family lived in Mao Er hutong near Di’anmen in Beijing’s Dongcheng District. Her stepmother was the seconddaughter of Yulang and also a granddaughter and she was raised by her stepmother. She left a deep impression on WanrONG because she doted on her and treated her like a real daughter. Her full birth name was Gobulo Wanrongo ; she is referred to as simply Wan rong because Manchus were usually referred to by their given names only. Her courtesy name was Muhongs.