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The Last Manchu

The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China

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The Last Manchu

By: Paul Kramer, Henry Pu Yi
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
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About this listen

In 1908, at the age of two, Henry Pu Yi ascended to become the last emperor of the centuries-old Manchu dynasty. After revolutionaries forced Pu Yi to abdicate in 1911, the young emperor lived for 13 years in Peking’s Forbidden City, but with none of the power his birth afforded him. The remainder of Pu Yi’s life was lived out in a topsy-turvy fashion: fleeing from a Chinese warlord, becoming head of a Japanese puppet state, being confined to a Russian prison in Siberia, and enduring taxing labor. The Last Manchu is a unique, enthralling record of China’s most turbulent, dramatic years.

©2010 Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Americas Asia China Historical Japan Military Politicians Politics & Activism United States World Russia Biography Imperial Japan War

Editorial reviews

This autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, the last Qing emperor, tells the real-life story of a king in pauper's clothing. A head of state by the time he learned to walk, Pu Yi's shifting fortunes found him deposed, reinstated, jailed for war crimes, and ultimately redeemed, oddly enough, in the eyes of the communist government, while he lived and worked as a commoner. With a voice reminiscent of the great Alec Guinness, Gildart Jackson delivers audiences a tremulous performance, capturing the conflicted nature of the beleaguered emperor. The English actor exudes a regal sophistication, alternately punctured by arrogance and regret as Pu Yi grapples with unlikely turns of fate.

Critic Reviews

"Important and fascinating." ( The New York Times)
All stars
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This is a great insight into Chinese culture and recent history. It fills in the gaps of what many Westerners know from the 1987 film.

Fascinating story

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Loved it. Kept me captivated. what a story!
How time changes the world 🌎

Wonderful story

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loved the story. shame that the narrator has completely butchered the pronunciation of Chinese words, names and places.

Great first hand account of history

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