Jin Youzhi, last surviving sibling of China's last emperor Puyi, dies age 96

Over a century after his brother was dethroned by the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, the last surviving sibling of Chinese Emperor Puyi has died at 96.

Jin Youzhi died as a retired primary school teacher in Beijing, the imperial capital from which his family used to rule over the vast Qing Empire. After

Jin was born Puren of Aisin-Gioro, the House that had ruled China since Prince Dorgon and his Manchu bannermen marched through Shanhai Pass in 1644, placing Hong Taiji on the Dragon Throne.

By the time Puren was born in 1918, however, it had already been six years since his older brother, then the six-year-old child emperor Xuantong, abdicated and brought an end to the centuries-old Qing Dynasty.

Even after an abortive, short-lived attempt to restore the dynasty in 1917, however, the imperial family was still permitted by the Republic of China to continue living in the Forbidden City - until 1925, at least. After their expulsion from the palace, Puyi moved to the Japanese concession in Tianjin.

Six years later, Japan's Kwantung Army fabricated a terrorist incident that they used a pretext to invade and occupy all of the Manchu homeland in China's northeast, which they established as a Japanese puppet state nominally under the rule of Puyi, now Emperor of Manchukuo.

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As anyone who has seen 1987 Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor will recall, Puyi then faced persecution under the Communists for his collaboration. Since Puren had no part in Manchukuo, however, he was spared punishment. 

Like Puyi, Puren took the surname Jin ("gold") when he became a common citizen, since their clan name meant "gold" in Manchu. While his brother was playing at being an emperor again, Puren converted the mansion he was born in into a school, with himself as headmaster.

Puren as Jin Youzhi

The government took over the building in 1949 but Puren kept working as a teacher, raising three sons and two daughters. From 1994 until his death, Puren was the Head of House Aisin-Gioro.

The imperial bloodline remains strong in China, but the passing of Jin Youzhi, great-grandson of the Daoguang Emperor and nephew of the Guangxu Emperor, marks the end of the last generation to rule the Qing Dynasty.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]