WanRong: The Last Empress of China

The last Empress of China was beautiful and American-educated. WanRong was selected (against her will) to marry Emperor PuYi when she was just 16. PuYi selected his bride from photographs of eligible young girls and he first chose a girl who was inappropriate for his wife as she was only 12 years old. PuYi’s family then selected WanRong for him and they married. WanRong was trapped between her sophisticated modern Western education which she embraced, and the confinement of Chinese Imperialist culture in the Forbidden City. To get more news about last empress of china, you can visit shine news official website.

She called herself “Elizabeth” and wore Western fashions. After only a couple of years of marriage, PuYi and WanRong were forced out of the Forbidden City by the Japanese invasion and installed as "Puppet" Imperials of the Japanese state Manchukuo in Manchuria. WanRong had no love for PuYi and had affairs with his aides. She gave birth to a daughter but the whereabouts of this child are unknown. It's clear that WanRong was not permitted to raise her baby girl as PuYi was enraged at her infidelity. There were rumours that PuYi killed the child, and other rumours that the child was given away. WanRong was in such despair that she started using opium and became addicted. In 1945 the Soviet Army invaded Manchuria, where Manchukuo was located. PuYi fled for his life and left his wife behind. She was captured by the Chinese Communist guards. She lived in internment camps and died of opium withdrawal and malnutrition in prison at age 39.

Empress Wanrong of China was known for being the consort of the last Emperor of China, Puyi. Under the Qing dynasty she was a member of the monarchy for two years until her death. Her time as the Empress was filled with torment and tragedy, and she did not have the happy ending she so richly deserved. Here are 30 tragic facts about Empress Wanrong.
The Death Of Her Mother​
Gobulo Wanrong was born on November 13, 1906, in Beijing. She came from a family that was considered the perfect pedigree for royalty. Her father, Rongyuan worked as a minister in the Imperial Court, whilst her mother was also from a highly prominent clan.When Wanrong was only two years old her mother passed away from what was called 'childbed fever' but what we now refer to as postpartum depression. For the rest of her childhood, she was brought up by a stepmother.
Her Father Believed In Education​
Wanrong was extremely fortunate enough to have a father who believed education to be of great importance and made sure that his daughter had an education as prestigious as his sons. In that way, he was quite progressive. He sent Wanrong to an American school in Tianjin.It helped that Rongyuan was extremely wealthy, and so his children lacked for nothing. Wanrong left the school accomplished in both English and the piano. She was also considered a great beauty, which added to her eligibility.
Participated In A Bridal Competition​
In 1922 the Emperor Puyi of China, who was only 16-years-old at the time, began to search for a bride. At the time he had been overthrown as emperor but retained the wealth, prestige, and title.Wanrong's father and stepmother wanted their daughter to be chosen as Puyi's bride, and so her name was added to a list of potential brides. He first chose another woman named Wenxiu, but his advisors weren't keen on the idea, so made his second choice - Wanrong.
Puyi Was A Cruel Man​
Puyi had been spoiled from the day he was born, and this had turned him into a nightmare of a man. He was incapable of doing anything for himself and had a dark side to him that became very hard for Wanrong to ignore.Puyi was a cruel man and was prone to having the eunuchs that served as his staff beaten regularly. His advisors tried to get the emperor to ease off on the men but to no avail. Puyi even confessed that "my cruelty and love of wielding power were already too firmly set for persuasion to have any effect on me." This did not bode well for Wanrong.
Wanrong And Puyi Wed​
Wanrong was married to Emperor Puyi in 1922. It consisted of three lavish ceremonies, and the bride wore a traditional mask during the proceeding's entirety. She also wore a crimson outfit adorned with a dragon just to add to the pomp and ceremony.

As disturbing as it was to have two teenagers wed, it was made even more disturbing by the fact that Puyi married his first choice Wenxiu on the same day. Wenxiu was only 12 years old when she became just one of the emperor's consorts, alongside Wanrong.