AISIN-GIORO, PU YI

From Emperor to Citizen the Autobiography of Aisin

Bejing, China: Foreign Languages Press, 2005. Later Printing. Hardcover. ISBN: 7119007726. DJ and boards show light shelf wear.; A bright, solid book. Dust jacket in Mylar jacket protector. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 496 pages; "First published in Chinese in 1964 and then banned by the revolutionaries ten years later, this remarkable autobiography presents the story of a man who served twice as emperor of China, once as emperor of the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria, and then underwent a complete re-education in the prisons of the Communist Chinese government, finally leading a life as an ordinary citizen.Placed on the throne in 1908 at the age of two, Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi became the tenth ruler of the Ch'ing Dynasty and the last emperor of China. Forced to abdicate four years later but permitted to remain in the Forbidden City until the Ch'ing court lost power in 1924, Pu Yi spent his youth surrounded by eunuchs, princes, cooks, consorts, tutors, and the decadent, often wild excesses of the Imperial Palace. During this time, Reginald Johnston, a Scottish district officer and magistrate of the British-leased territory of Weihaiwei in Shantung, became Pu Yi's tutor and established a bond with the young emperor that both remembered fondly in their writings.Recounting those early days, Pu Yi then describes his installation by the Japanese as puppet emperor in Manchuria, the defeat of Japan by the Allies in World War II, his imprisonment in the Soviet Union, and his eventual forced return to the People's Republic of China in 1950. Re-educated in Chinese prisons, Pu Yi learned how to dress himself, work on an assembly line, and criticize his former uselessness and pride. Pu Yi ends the account with his release from prison--pardoned by the Communist Party--and the beginning of his new life as a gardener and then as a researcher of literary and historical materials.This fascinating account not only depicts an empire in the throes of death and the zeal of a new-born regime, but also reveals the tragic story of a man who was a helpless subject of family and government turmoils and not really a ruler at all.". Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket .

Ainsworth BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 21614

Catalogue: Asia::China

Keywords: 7119007726 emperor China ASIA

GOUDGE, EILEEN & ELIZABETH COOPER & KWEI-LI

Golden Lilies

New York: Viking Adult, 1990. 1st Thus; First Printing. Hardcover. ISBN: 0670834386. Illustrated by Zhang Qing. DJ shows some wear head and tail of spine, short tears, light rippling top of front panel. ; A bright, solid book, dustjacket in Mylar, unclipped. Delightful drawings by Zhang Qing ; 7.8 X 7.4 X 1.0 inches; 181 pages; "First edited and translated by American missionary Elizabeth Cooper in 1914, and issued as My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard, this two-part collection of letters has been adapted by best-selling author Goudge. The first letters, written in the 1880s, are from a young wife to her new husband, who is traveling. They provide details of aristocratic family life within the strict confines of a traditional Chinese courtyard home. The second set, written 25 years later, are from the wife to her mother-in-law and record the early-20th-century transition to modern China. Unfortunately, the editorial additions (made in the original translation by Elizabeth Cooper) today result in a lack of authenticity. Kwei-Li could have had no reason to explain certain aspects of traditional Chinese culture to either her husband or her mother-in-law." (Library Journal). Near Fine in Very Good dust jacket .

Ainsworth BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 20066

Catalogue: Asia::China

Keywords: 0670834386 China ASIA

PU YI; W.J.F. JENNER (TRANSLATOR)

From Emperor to Citizen the Autobiography of Aisin

Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1979. 2nd. Hardcover. Sticker removal damage front panel of dust jacket, DJ scuffed with light chipping, top fore corners a little bumped. ; Volume one only. A tight solid book, dust jacket in Mylar jacket protector. ; 8.10 X 5.60 X 0.80 inches; 247 pages; First published in Chinese in 1964 and then banned by the revolutionaries ten years later, this remarkable autobiography presents the story of a man who served twice as emperor of China, once as emperor of the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria, and then underwent a complete re-education in the prisons of the Communist Chinese government, finally leading a life as an ordinary citizen.Placed on the throne in 1908 at the age of two, Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi became the tenth ruler of the Ch'ing Dynasty and the last emperor of China. Forced to abdicate four years later but permitted to remain in the Forbidden City until the Ch'ing court lost power in 1924, Pu Yi spent his youth surrounded by eunuchs, princes, cooks, consorts, tutors, and the decadent, often wild excesses of the Imperial Palace. During this time, Reginald Johnston, a Scottish district officer and magistrate of the British-leased territory of Weihaiwei in Shantung, became Pu Yi's tutor and established a bond with the young emperor that both remembered fondly in their writings.Recounting those early days, Pu Yi then describes his installation by the Japanese as puppet emperor in Manchuria, the defeat of Japan by the Allies in World War II, his imprisonment in the Soviet Union, and his eventual forced return to the People's Republic of China in 1950. Re-educated in Chinese prisons, Pu Yi learned how to dress himself, work on an assembly line, and criticize his former uselessness and pride. Pu Yi ends the account with his release from prison--pardoned by the Communist Party--and the beginning of his new life as a gardener and then as a researcher of literary and historical materials.This fascinating account not only depicts an empire in the throes of death and the zeal of a new-born regime, but also reveals the tragic story of a man who was a helpless subject of family and government turmoils and not really a ruler at all.. Very Good in Good+ dust jacket .

Ainsworth BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 16528

Catalogue: Asia::China::Emperor

Keywords: China Pu Yi emperor Biographies & Memoirs ASIA