The Chinese had the longest-lasting empire in the history of the world but it only took six months for it to end. So what do you do when you have a young emperor left over?
Do you cast the boy onto the street? Do you use him as a political pawn? Or do you keep him prisoner inside his own palace and figure out what to do with him later?
For Puyi, all of these happened and much more.
He was the last Emperor three times. That’s how uniquely strange his life was. His time on earth was filled with tragedy and horror, and some of it was done by Puyi himself. He may have started as a living god but he ended as a war criminal, peasant and – depending on who you ask – a changed man.
But can we blame him for all of his misbehaviour or was he in over his head as a mere puppet in a way of life that was bigger than any of us could ever comprehend?
It’s time to learn How History Works by examining what happens to a young boy when he’s at the centre of a transition between two vastly different civilisations.
------

#HowHistoryWorks #History #chinesehistory

link To My Other Channel: youtube.com/c/HowMoneyWorks

Video Created By: Gabriela Gutierrez

Footage Courtesy of: Getty Images

Music Provided By: Epidemic Sound

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact sponsors@worksmedia.group
-----
Sources

www.britannica.com/summary/China
www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/post/7456/china-chronic…
alphahistory.com/chineserevolution/hundred-days-re…
www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/…
erenow.net/biographies/the-last-manchu/6.php
www.britannica.com/biography/Sun-Yat-sen/The-revol…
royalcentral.co.uk/asia/the-man-who-tried-to-becom…
www.chinafetching.com/zhang-xun
inf.news/ne/history/dfa7cc6bff06312bb20bf15b566238…
www.bjreview.com/special/2015-08/31/content_702161…
peacepalacelibrary.nl/research-guide/tokyo-trial
content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054364…
www.historyofroyalwomen.com/empress-xiaorui-min/em…