He Puyi: A **** emperor of Chinese feudal society who led the Chinese people out of a miserable life, the first meeting after Puyi's amnesty.
Life is like dust and dew, and the way of heaven is long", which means that everyone lives in the world like morning dew, like dust, like a white horse passing through the gap, but the way of heaven is eternal and eternal. Things in the world are changing rapidly, and change is the root of things.
These two poems are the most appropriate to describe Pu Yi. Aixin Jueluo Puyi is the great-grandson of Emperor Daoguang of Xuanzong of the Qing Dynasty, the son of the regent Zaifeng, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the last emperor in Chinese history.
Emperor Guangxu before Puyi was estranged from Cixi because of the Wuxu coup, and since then, Cixi has always wanted to abolish Guangxu and personally interfere in politics, and because Guangxu has no son, Puyi was brought into the palace to raise.
Pu Yi ascended the throne at the age of three, abdicated at the age of six, and only served as emperor for three years. This history of becoming an emperor did not bring him infinite glory and wealth, but led to his tragic life.
The young and ignorant Pu Yi didn't even know what the concept of "emperor" was, so on December 2, the 34th year of Guangxu, more than half a month after Guangxu's death, he hurriedly inherited the throne and became a tool for others to control the government.
Three years later, on February 12, 1912The Qing Dynasty fell, and he was forced to abdicate and became the last emperor of China.
There is no doubt that Pu Yi's life was full of tragedy, whether he was forced to become emperor at the age of three, or he had to abdicate after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, Pu Yi's fate was never in his own hands.
After Pu Yi abdicated in 1912, the depressed Empress Dowager Longyu deeply realized the importance of reading, so she immediately invited a master for Pu Yi and began to urge Pu Yi to study.
But because of the deep-rooted feudal mentality, even the Empress Dowager Longyu began to realize the importance of readingHe did not learn the advanced technology of the West, but still studied the Hundred Schools of Thought and the Four Books and Five Classics of China.
From 1913 to 1916, although Pu Yi had abdicated, he still used the Xuantong era in the palace, and many administrative organs during his reign were still used. In this way, Pu Yi lived peacefully in his own small court.
It was not until 1917 that Zhang Xun, a relict of the former Qing Dynasty, mutinied and the restoration of Xuantong, and Pu Yi, who was only 12 years old, was forced to sit on the dragon chair again. Under the control of these ministers, Pu Yi sealed a number of courtiers, and this farce ended only twelve days later, Duan Qirui sent troops to fight, and Pu Yi abdicated again.
At this time, Pu Yi was facing the ever-changing government and politics, and he already knew a little bit about it, but he still had too much incomprehension, too much helplessness, and too much involuntary self-determination.
After Pu Yi abdicated againIn 1918, upon the recommendation of Li Hongzhang's second son, Li Jingmai, they decided to hire Johnston, who was a blend of Chinese and Western, as Pu Yi's new teacher, teaching Pu Yi English, mathematics, world history, geography and other subjects.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Johnston is a scholar with a strong background in SinologyHe has a deep love for China's history, geography, and customs. After coming to China, he traveled extensively and actively studied China's unique geography and famous temples and monuments.
Johnston was particularly obsessed with Chinese Confucian culture and Buddhist philosophy, and even published the book "A Chinese's Call to the World on ** Religious Missionary Activities", accusing ** church missionaries of trying to change China with religion, which shows his love for Chinese culture.
It was precisely because Johnston was connected to the past and the present, and learned from China and the West, that it became the best candidate to be Puyi's teacher at that time. After many negotiations with the British Embassy, in February 1919, Johnston rushed to the capital and began his career as an emperor.
Humorous, witty, and well-learned, Johnston entered the capital with advanced Western ideas and modern science and technology, blowing a fresh air of Western culture into the ancient and dreary Forbidden City.
In the process of spending time with Johnston, Pu Yi gradually became conquered by the strange mystery and freshness he carried, and at the same time full of curiosity and reverence for Western things.
In the eyes of the young Pu Yi, it was an unknown world, a paradise of freedom, a new life completely different from the absurd encounters of the past ten years, and he was full of longing and yearning for Western culture.
Johnston not only planted the seeds of Western culture deeply in Pu Yi's heart, told him about Western life and customs, and gave him an English name - Henry. Pu Yi liked the name very much. In daily life, people often refer to him as "Henry".
Under Johnston's guidance, Pu Yi put on glasses, cut off his braids, put on ** in the palace, and rode a bicycle. In order to make it easier to ride a bicycle in the palace, Pu Yi even demolished the thresholds in the palace one by one.
His move broke the internal and external restrictions, broke through China's feudal tradition to a certain extent, and also became a symbol of Puyi's gradual opening up and abandonment of feudal shackles. During this period, Pu Yi got married and married a queen and a concubine, the queen was Wanrong, and the concubine was Wenxiu.
In this way, under Johnston's teaching, Pu Yi began to carry out reforms in the palace, actively studied the advanced political and economic systems of the West, and even met with some foreign envoys. Their strong teacher-student friendship has also become a good story for later generations.
But the good times did not last long, and under Johnston's guidance, some of Puyi's reform measures touched the interests of the palace interior minister, so Johnston became a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh.
Until the coup d'état in Beijing in 1924, Pu Yi was completely driven out of the Forbidden City, and with the help of Johnston, Pu Yi fled to Japan in a hurry, and Johnston resigned from his job as an imperial teacher and returned to the concession. At this point, Johnston ended his career as an imperial teacher.
As a result of the coup d'état in Beijing, Pu Yi fled to Japan. Educated in the West, Pu Yi quickly learned about Japan's constitutional monarchy and wanted to emulate Japan's political system in China.
Pu Yi actively contacted the Japanese ministers to comprehensively study the relevant regulations of the constitutional monarchy and prepare for the implementation of the constitutional monarchy in China.
Pu Yi's behavior also satisfied Japan's attempt to establish a puppet state of Manchukuo and control China, so major Japanese newspapers published articles sympathizing with Pu Yi to build momentum for Japan's invasion of China, and in 1925, Pu Yi was sent to Tianjin by the Japanese.
From 1925 to 1932, Pu Yi lived in Tianjin for seven years, and Pu Yi was no longer an immature child, nor an ignorant teenager, but an adult who already had ambitions and tendencies for politics and power in his heart.
Due to his youthful experience, Pu Yi has an extraordinary desire for power. He longed not only for the privileges that power brought him, but also for the glory and dignity that power brought him.
Therefore, during these seven years, Pu Yi vacillated between the elders of various factions and various factions. He actively contacted the remnants of the Qing Dynasty and those who supported the constitutional monarchists, advocating the introduction of a constitutional system in China in an attempt to seek restoration.
During this period, because the domestic support for him was very weak, while the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang were rapidly developing, Pu Yi's desire to rely on domestic forces to implement a constitutional monarchy was difficult to realize.
After winning over the warlords, bribing politicians, and appointing guest secretaries all had their effects, the anxious Pu Yi began to panic. It just so happened that at this time, with the expansion of Japan's militarist forces, its aggressive ambitions became bigger and bigger, and its conspiracy to invade China became more and more mature.
Pu Yi hit it off with the Japanese. The Japanese took advantage of Pu Yi's desire to restore the imperial system in China and used this as a condition to open the door to aggression against China. Pu Yi tried in vain to use the power of the Japanese to restore the "great cause" of the Qing Dynasty.
On September 18, 1931, the Japanese army blew up the South Manchurian Railway and blamed the squadron for using this as an excuse to bombard Shenyang Beidaying, and the Japanese Kwantung Army took the opportunity to launch an incident.
This incident marked the official beginning of the Japanese imperialist war of aggression against China, and also opened the prelude to the Eastern Theater of World War II.
Internationally, at this time, European and American imperialism was in the midst of an economic crisis and was too busy to take care of itself, so Japan took the opportunity to accelerate the pace of aggression against China in a vain attempt to dominate China and expand its territorial area.
In order to pacify the international ** and to occupy the entire territory of Manchuria, Japan and Pu Yi colluded with each other to establish Manchukuo, Pu Yi served as the head of state, and the capital was set in Xinjing (now Changchun) as "Datong".
That's all,With the help of Japan, Pu Yi once again ascended to the throne he had always dreamed ofHe also tried in vain to implement a constitutional monarchy in China, so as to revive the dynasty, realize the great rejuvenation of China, and satisfy his yearning for status, honor, and ideals.
The good times did not last long, and Pu Yi, who ascended the throne, found that he had no real power in his hands, and he was forced to sign the "Japan Agreement" with Japan, recognizing Japan's vested rights and interests, and allowing the Kwantung Army to garrison troops in Manchuria.
At this time, Pu Yi realizedHe himself was just a puppet emperor. Not only was he unable to realize his fanciful ideals and ambitions, but he also put the sovereignty of the country in the hands of the Japanese. But at this time, it was too late, and Pu Yi couldn't regret it.
In this way, Pu Yi spent a difficult and helpless eight years. In eight years, under the coercion of the Japanese invaders, he promulgated a large number of treaties that harmed China's interests. Pu Yi was called a "traitor" and a "thief" by the Chinese.
It was not until August 8, 1945 that the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and attacked the puppet state of Manchukuo, and the puppet Manchukuo regime collapsed. On August 15, Japan surrendered, and Pu Yi promulgated the Edict of Abdication.
After Japan's defeat, Pu Yi, as the head of state of the puppet Manchurian regime supported by Japan, was about to flee to Japan, but when he and the soldiers of the Japanese Kwantung Army went to the waiting room of Toyota Airport and prepared to leave for Japan, he was captured by the Soviet Red Army.
According to the Soviet military descriptions at the time, when they arrived, they saw a plane preparing to take off, a group of people were in the waiting room, and a young man was walking towards the plane. He was dignified and dressed in military uniform, and the Soviets immediately stopped him.
Pu Yi was thus transported to the Soviet Union, where he began his five-year career as a prisoner of war, and it was not until 1950 that the Soviet Union handed him over to China.
During these five years in the Soviet Union, life was not as difficult as Pu Yi imagined. There it is,He was treated equally, and instead of being sent to a prison with poor conditions, he was placed in a nursing home with beautiful surroundings.
Pu Yi was successively imprisoned in the Morokovka Detention Center in the Soviet Tower, the Boli Honghezi Detention Center, and the 45th Special Prisoner of War Detention Center, but he was treated preferentially.
Pu Yi also enjoys a very high treatment in his daily diet, he enjoys four meals a day, breakfast is a variety of bread, coffee, tea and other Western food; Lunch is two dishes and one soup, Chinese standard; There is another meal before dinner, called "afternoon tea"; Dinner is Western food, beef tongue, fruit wine, dim sum, etc.
In terms of etiquette, the Soviet army also gave Pu Yi the greatest dignity, not only did the staff of the shelter treat him politely, but even some of his relatives would come to greet him.
Pu Yi spent most of his daily life chanting sutras and reciting Buddha in order to alleviate the guilt in his heart, and the Su side also gave him great freedom in this regard. Pu Yi was also studying some divination, perhaps he was eager to know his future fate.
A few years after the Soviet Union, Pu Yi was afraid that after he was extradited back to China, he would be executed for crimes committed in the puppet Manchukuo, so he donated two boxes of jewelry he carried to the Soviet Union for free, all of which Pu Yi brought out of the palace in case of emergency.
Pu Yi hoped to move the Soviet Union with such a move and become a Soviet citizen. However, the Soviet Union did not agree to his request because of this, and until the eve of being sent back, Pu Yi still tried to stay in the Soviet Union.
August 16, 1946Pu Yi testified before the Far East Military Tribunal, where he would dictate evidence of Japan's crimes during the war. In the military court, in the face of the Japanese invaders who committed many crimes, Pu Yi told the heinous crimes they committed in China in great detail.
Pu Yi angrily denounced the wolf ambitions of the Japanese invaders to carve up China, and listed the decisions he was forced to make and the relevant treaties he signed when he was used by the Japanese invaders as a puppet emperor during the puppet Manchu Empire.
Pu Yi's confession made the Japanese Kwantung Army who tried to retract their confessions speechless, and they could only accept the crimes they had committed and anxiously look for Pu Yi's loopholes, but their crimes were like a certainty, and there was no possibility of retracting their confessions.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, on August 1, 1950, Pu Yi and 263 other "war criminals" from Manchukuo were transferred from the Soviet Union to China at Suifenhe. Pu Yi was eventually extradited back to China, where he began his 10-year ideological re-education and labor reform in the Fushun War Criminals Management Center.
During his ten years in the War Criminals Management Center, Pu Yi truly realized the crimes he had committed for Manchukuo, and actively accepted ideological reform. He read books and newspapers every day, accepted the new ideas of the People's Republic of China, and did what he could.
Pu Yi understood the truth of hard work and prosperity through labor, and he even understood that only by firmly supporting the Communist Party of China, loving the people, and being a glorious citizen of the People's Republic of China can he have the opportunity to be a new man.
Pu Yi slowly adapted to life in prison and lived in a step-by-step manner, during which Pu Yi's thinking changed dramatically. He began to realize what equality was and what simple happiness was.
Pu Yi's heart no longer has the so-called "grand cause" of "recovering the Qing Dynasty", there are just the wishes and struggles of ordinary people, he wants to live, he wants to live a normal life.
As Pu Yi's own limerick poem said: "Freedom is precious, but face is more expensive, if it is for life, both can be thrown away." ”
Ten years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was decided to grant amnesty to some Chiang Kai-shek clique, puppet Manchukuo war criminals, counter-revolutionary criminals, and ordinary criminal criminals who had undergone a certain period of reform and had indeed changed from evil to good.
At that time, Pu Yi thought that the people who could be pardoned must be some prisoners with less criminal responsibility, and he himself had committed many crimes and would never be on the list of amnesties, so he was discouraged and did not have any hope.
But to Pu Yi's surprise, he not only appeared on the list of amnesties, but was the first person to be pardoned. "Notice of Amnesty of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China - 1959 Pardon Zi No. 001".
Pu Yi was not only moved, but also deeply felt the friendship of New China and the Communist Party of China towards him, and felt the party's tolerance.
Pu Yi returned to Beijing after being pardoned, and when he came out, China had entered a new society, and the way of life, cognition, and social things were different from what they used to be, and his life in the palace was very different.
After Pu Yi came out of the war criminals management center, he didn't even know some daily necessities, and his daily life became a big problemTherefore, Pu Yi has been living under the care of his sister, and later the state arranged a job for him.
When choosing a job, Pu Yi's first thought was to become a doctor, but in the end he couldn't achieve it, why? It turned out that not long after Pu Yi returned to Beijing, he went to Zhongnanhai with other amnesty prisoners to meet ***
**After meeting Pu Yi, he once asked kindly: "Do you have any plans for the rest of your life?" ”
Pu Yi thought of some of the medical knowledge he had learned in prison, and said: "I have committed too many sins in the first half of my life, and I want to use the second half of my life to save lives and help the wounded to atone for my sins." ”
**After thinking carefully about Pu Yi's request, and then choosing to refuse, he said to Pu Yi: "You have a special status, and you have not undergone professional learning, and your skills are not proficient, if there is a problem, it will cause a series of unnecessary controversies, ** is not good." ”
Pu Yi carefully considered ***'s words and finally accepted ***'s suggestion. It can be seen from thisThe leaders of New China did everything possible to think about Pu Yi's life.
Later, under the arrangement of ***, Pu Yi chose to work in the Beijing Botanical Garden, after more than a year of adaptation to societyHe was transferred to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as a commissioner, and in this position he completed his book "The First Half of My Life".
On the eve of the Spring Festival in 1962, ** invited Zhang Shizhao, Cheng Qian and other Hunan friends to a banquet in the Yi Nian Hall. Everyone came one after another, and after taking the seat, *** smiled and said mysteriously: "I invite you here today because I want to entertain an important guest and need you to accompany me." ”
Everyone curiously asked who this mysterious figure was. **Haha laughed and said:"This man used to be your immediate boss! ”
After a while, a tall, thin, glasses-wearing, kind-faced old man came to the banquet. Everyone looked at it, and it turned out that he was Pu Yi, the last emperor of China.
**Seeing Pu Yi holding his hand cordially, he said: "The current conditions are difficult, and naturally it cannot be compared with your previous life." The other guests laughed too.
Pu Yi hurriedly replied: "In the past, although there were many dishes and variety, but it didn't taste good, but now I rely on my own hands to obtain the fruits of labor, but I eat it very fragrantly, and I can eat a pound of buns in one meal!" It's better now. ”
During the banquet, ** said to everyone: "I didn't joke with everyone just now, this is indeed our top boss." ”
Pu Yi said: "I used to do a lot of things wrong, and now I am just an ordinary citizen of the People's Republic of China, and I also enjoy the fun of being an ordinary citizen." ”
**also kindly asked Pu Yi about his marriage, and when he learned that Pu Yi was still single, ** immediately said to him: "You can consider remarriage, but be cautious, marriage should not be a child's play, and a family should be established." ”
During this banquet, the first witty words were full of witty words, the atmosphere was warm, and Pu Yi deeply felt the concern of the national leaders for himself.
One is the last emperor of China's feudal society, and the other is the *** who led the Chinese people out of a miserable life and ushered in a new light, and the two completed the first meeting after Puyi's amnesty in such a calm and harmonious atmosphere.
In 1962, Pu Yi ushered in his fifth marriage. Beijing's ** Shuxian became Pu Yi's fifth wife and the wife who accompanied Pu Yi until the end of his life.
Pu Yi cherishes his marriage very much, and also cherishes the warm and simple home he and Li Shuxian formed. This is the first time in Pu Yi's life that he has a real home, and it is also the first time that he has an equal and free marriage.
The attitude of the new Chinese leaders towards Pu Yi, the last emperor, can fully reflect the tolerant attitude of the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China towards war criminals who sincerely repent and correct their mistakes, as well as the principle of sincerely persuading people to do good.
"Knowing your mistakes can make a difference." In New China, people are equal, respectful, and caring for each other, and the Chinese people will not turn over old accounts.
Until 1967, Pu Yi fell ill due to uremia, ** sent the most professional doctor to see him after hearing the news, and later Pu Yi died on October 17, 1967 due to ineffective rescue.
Although Pu Yi spent the first half of his life in involuntary and mediocrity, but in the warm environment of New China in the second half of his life, he lived an ordinary life, harvested love, spent his old age peacefully, and finally got a happy ending.