The First Half of My Life

Name: The First Half of My Life
ISBN: 9787559613332

爱新觉罗·溥仪Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaDec 2018

4.4

Word count: 421K words
Chapters: 97
ISBN: 9787559613332

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Summary

I was born in the Prince Chun Mansion in Beijing; my grandfather was the seventh son of the Daoguang Emperor. When I was three, the Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor lay gravely ill, and Cixi suddenly decided to make me the heir to the throne. Within two days of my entering the palace, Guangxu and Cixi died one after the other, and I ascended the throne as emperor—the tenth and last of the Qing dynasty. Less than three years into my reign, the Xinhai Revolution broke out and I abdicated. — Aisin-Gioro Puyi was the last monarch since Qin Shi Huang established the imperial system, and the last emperor of the Qing dynasty; when he fell from power in February 1912, he was only six years old. This book is Puyi's autobiography. Starting from his family background, Puyi recounts his entire life: entering the palace and becoming emperor, living through the Xinhai Revolution, the abdication of the Qing emperor, the founding of the Republic of China, the chaos of the Beiyang warlords, his expulsion from the palace, his residence in Tianjin, his reign as emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo, his flight, and finally his reeducation after liberation and his life as an ordinary citizen.

Editor's review

In the first person, From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Puyi unfolds a turbulent life spanning the late Qing, the Republic, Manchukuo, and reeducation in New China. It is no simple memoir but a difficult self-examination by a figure at the center of history's vortex, probing his relationship with himself and the world. Its value lies not only in the wealth of firsthand material it offers—from childhood memories of the Forbidden City and the uncertainty of his Tianjin exile to the political aberrations of the Manchukuo years—but also in how it shows a person shaped and distorted by an age of upheaval, and his struggle to rediscover his identity. The descriptions of court life and of his dealings with historical figures are of irreplaceable documentary value; the later account of his reeducation traces a spiritual transformation characteristic of its era. As history, it lets us glimpse the real circumstances and complex mentality of an individual behind grand narrative; as personal narrative, it is a profound text on guilt, repentance, and redemption. Readers should note that the book was revised over time, with shifts in perspective and emphasis across editions—itself part of history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history from the late Qing to the early years of New China who wish to understand this complex transition through a witness's eyes
Readers drawn to the fate of individuals caught in the tide of history and interested in themes of identity, guilt, and punishment
Scholars and enthusiasts of modern Chinese history, Puyi's life, or late Qing court culture
Readers who enjoy personal biographies marked by a strong sense of their era and deep self-reflection

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting purely objective historical facts untouched by any period's context
Readers seeking light entertainment who would find heavy historical reflection and personal confession oppressive

Reading tips

Read alongside late-life footage of Puyi, related historical documentaries, and scholarship for a more rounded understanding
Attend to the subtleties of the narrator's tone and choice of detail, and consider the author's state of mind at different stages of his life and writing
Compare with memoirs or biographies of other political figures of the same era to see how different individuals responded to and narrated the same historical currents

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
中国人的骄傲
第一章我的家世
一、醇贤亲王的一生
二、外祖父荣禄
三、慈禧太后的决定
四、摄政王监国
五、亲王之家
第二章我的童年
一、登极与退位
二、帝王生活
三、母子之间
四、毓庆宫读书
五、太监
六、我的乳母
第三章北京的“小朝廷”
一、袁世凯时代
二、丁巳复辟
三、北洋元老
四、不绝的希望
五、庄士敦
六、结婚
七、内部冲突
八、遣散太监
九、整顿内务府
十、紫禁城的末日
十一、在“北府”里
十二、三岔口上的抉择
十三、由“使馆区”到“租界地”
第四章天津的“行在”
一、罗振玉的努力
二、我和奉系将领之间
三、谢米诺夫和“小诸葛”
四、东陵事件
五、领事馆、司令部、黑龙会
六、郑孝胥的理想
七、“行在”生活
第五章到东北去
一、不静的“静园”
二、日本人意见分歧
三、会见土肥原
四、白河偷渡
五、在封锁中
六、我的所见与所思
七、会见板垣
第六章伪满十四年
一、同时上演的另一台戏——摘录一个参与者的记述（1931—1932）
二、登场
三、“元首”的“尊严”
四、李顿调查团
五、第三次做“皇帝”
六、吉冈安直
七、我的恐惧
八、四大“诏书”及其他
九、在羊的面前是狼
十、“后”与“妃”的命运
十一、大崩溃
第七章在苏联的五年
一、疑惧和幻想
二、放不下来的架子
三、我不认罪
四、远东国际军事法庭
第八章由抗拒到认罪
一、回到了祖国
二、第一次写自传
三、乾隆的田黄石印
四、黑色的皮箱
五、交代一段历史真相
六、检举与认罪
七、震动
八、原形毕露
第九章认罪以后
一、观测“气象”
二、劳动滋味
三、生活检讨会
四、血泪控诉
五、平顶山的方素荣
六、台山堡一家农民
七、第三次崩溃
第十章一切都在变
一、最初的答案
二、会见亲属
三、日本战犯
四、离婚
第十一章 “世界上的光辉”
一、在我心里失掉过的
二、解放了的人
三、美与丑、善与恶
四、“监狱”
五、“所方”
六、命运是可以掌握的
第十二章特赦
一、中共中央的建议
二、一九五九年十二月四日
三、告别
溥仪一生大事记
附录从我的经历揭露日本军国主义的罪行——纪念“九·一八”事变三十周年

FAQ

There are many editions of this book. Do their contents differ?

Yes. The book was drafted in the 1950s, first issued internally as the "gray-cover edition," and later revised and published repeatedly. Editions differ in historical detail, evaluative stance, and even chapter structure, reflecting the ideology and evolving personal understanding of particular periods. Most current editions are reprints based on the 1964 final version from the Masses Publishing House.

Is everything in the book true and reliable?

As a memoir, it blends personal memory, subjective feeling, and later understanding. Though it offers much valuable firsthand material, readers should recognize that memory is selective and that the writing was shaped by a specific historical environment and the author's personal circumstances. Treat it as important historical testimony rather than absolute objective fact, and read it with critical thinking alongside other sources.

What does the book mainly cover?

The book falls roughly into three parts: the first recalls in detail Puyi's life in the Qing court and early experiences from his accession to his expulsion from the Forbidden City; the second recounts his years as an exile in Tianjin and his complex experiences and inner journey as "emperor" of Manchukuo; the third focuses on his reeducation in the war criminals' management center and his intellectual transformation into an ordinary citizen after the special pardon. Running throughout is his repentance for the guilt of his early life and his embrace of the new society.

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About the author

爱新觉罗·溥仪 Author

Aisin-Gioro Puyi was the last emperor of China's Qing dynasty and a highly unusual twentieth-century Chinese autobiographer. Publicly available information about the details of his life is limited, so this page does not elaborate on them. Judging from the fourteen works held in the collection, his writing centers almost entirely on his own experience, most importantly the autobiography From Emperor to Citizen (My First Half of Life), which appears in an unabridged edition, a latest complete edition, a multi-volume edition, and other versions, as well as an edition subtitled as the autobiography of the "Xuantong Emperor" Puyi. These works fall under the categories of general biography and documentary literature. Written in the first person, they recall court life, the changes of the times, and personal fate, in a plain and reflective narrative voice. Because of the eyewitness perspective, his autobiography has distinctive value as historical material and a notable reading influence, and it is an important reference text for understanding Chinese history from the late Qing to the Republican period.