The Twisted Tale Of China's Last Consort

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  • čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
  • When Wenxiu married Emperor Puyi of China and became his Imperial Consort, she likely imagined a life filled with luxury. Instead, she got tragedy.
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Komentáře • 541

  • @thesussexbunion
    @thesussexbunion Před 4 měsíci +373

    "If she'd known, she might have run the other way. "
    Sadly, that wouldn't have been possible for her. Her family would not have taken her back, and she would have no way to make a living.

    • @justkiddin84
      @justkiddin84 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Or only one way.

    • @Furrina89
      @Furrina89 Před 4 měsíci +36

      Let's not forget that Chinese Emperors were usually trigger happy and frequently used to give capital punishment to "9 generations, including friends, family and slaves" of those who pissed him off.
      So, if she ran, it would'nt just be her in danger, it would be literally anyone who came within 10ft of her.

    • @bastait
      @bastait Před 2 měsíci

      more lies
      as always trust a feminist to lie and pretend women are second class citizens
      EEEEK A MAN TOUCHED ME GET HIM/
      oh you poor disenfranchised dear!
      did the emperor who moved you into a mansion not like you the horror.

  • @playinglifeoneasy9226
    @playinglifeoneasy9226 Před 4 měsíci +180

    This was so hurtful to both women. They show some of this in ‘Last Emperor of China’

    • @milascave2
      @milascave2 Před 4 měsíci +15

      But not much. In the movie, she divorces him just because he said that he was planning to move to the west, and she knew that second wives were not a t thing in the west.

  • @sleepysuga9484
    @sleepysuga9484 Před 4 měsíci +88

    It's good to know she had a loving husband the second time even if they fell into poverty later on. It's a million times better than living in a palace with a horrible person.

    • @Lppt87
      @Lppt87 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Why you assume he was loving?

    • @sleepysuga9484
      @sleepysuga9484 Před 2 měsíci +3

      @@Lppt87 it's literally said in the vid.

  • @lengl1125
    @lengl1125 Před 4 měsíci +256

    I would always choose being alone and poor than stuck in such an awful and toxic relationship. Glad Wenshiu managed to break free eventually.

    • @helengren9349
      @helengren9349 Před 4 měsíci +18

      Well, easier said then done when You're only 12 years Young...🤷 & a lot of more powerful People around her as grown up, that decided her everyday life ...

    • @rafflesxyz4800
      @rafflesxyz4800 Před 4 měsíci +4

      I choose rich and happy.

    • @newhorizon4066
      @newhorizon4066 Před 3 měsíci +8

      "I would always choose being alone and poor" - sure, providing you were ALLOWED to choose...

  • @traceyashton143
    @traceyashton143 Před 4 měsíci +130

    An interesting documentary, excellently narrated. Pu Yi was a deeply damaged & damaging individual; the film Last Emperor romanticised him & this is a far more accurate portrait. These two unfortunate women never had a chance.

  • @cisio64123
    @cisio64123 Před 4 měsíci +317

    Yes it's been said that he had a " fondness" for his handsome teenage pageboys during his puppet rule in Manchukuo . There was one who was his favorite who was even referred to as the male concubine. One of his pageboys even ran away to escape his advances and it was ordered by a furious Puyi that he be given his favored punishment ( which occurred at least once a day ) in being very harshly flogged for it .. which caused the pageboys death...which then of course got the floggers flogged. His younger brother when questioned said he was "biologically incapable of reproduction" which was a polite way of saying someone is gay in China at the time. It has also been said he did have a near pedophilic attraction to very young girls too ...along with being something of a sadist in his relationships with women . It's confusing and has been argued if he was actually bi or truly gay. Either way he really was just a huge nasty mess sexually and as a human being . He really was ruined as a decent human being in becoming the Emperor far too young.

    • @KittymoreJoy
      @KittymoreJoy Před 4 měsíci

      This what happens when a little boy is preyed upon by emasculated men who had no sexual outlet other than a child unprotected and helped nurture sexual grooming, perversions into a boy. They had complete control over him and adding humiliation and pain to sexual acts with him would corrupt a child who was treated as a god of Heaven. Tons of soul crushing rules and pressures does not make a healthy mind. This was happening for as long as there was the palace for hundreds of years, princes were subject to corrupted practices growing and most if not all became twisted emperors with some crazy as a loon or just plain of low intelligence being puppet king subject to back room control by who ever could grasp the power as regent for a child emperor or adviser to prince who could be managed. Too often a capable, intelligent prince was gotten rid of by hook or by crook because he many not be managed. Sad to think how many sons were murdered by the court factions, an Empress, a concubine, other princes or their own father. Such a great system to raise twisted, insecure, paranoid or delusional emperors, think how much farther and more the populations of Chinese people could have had better lives if only they had stable leadership. What could have been accomplished for the World to Marvel. History is always mostly lies by those in power to make themselves save face. We will never know the whole truth because those who did, were too afraid to white it down or killed to silence any truth coming out.

    • @joschmo1007
      @joschmo1007 Před 4 měsíci +43

      I have also read and heard that a lot of his strange sexual preferences were due to the way the eunuchs used, er, taught him when he was young. Sad life, and he certainly made the worst of it.

    • @scorpion-lg4ic
      @scorpion-lg4ic Před 4 měsíci +19

      i never thought I was a simpleton but at the very end when the narrator said someone once said "he preferred the land way to the water way"... i don't quite understand. obviously he is saying he preferred men to women but what is the "land" reference to male and "water" reference to female?

    • @sidhedanu
      @sidhedanu Před 4 měsíci +28

      ​@@scorpion-lg4ic I think water way would refer to women's vaginal fluids, and land is the opposite of water.

    • @scorpion-lg4ic
      @scorpion-lg4ic Před 4 měsíci +11

      @@sidhedanu that's what I thought of when listening to the video... but the "land" part referring to a man is just not making sense to me. so the person who came up with the saying could have very well said "he prefers a drought to a monsoon" if he would have referred to a woman's wet fluid & a dry drought would be the opposite. i just think there is some meaning that we are not understanding since they were speaking in Chinese. the words were interpreted from Chinese to English so maybe they actually mean something else but the meaning is lost in the interpretation. also, this occurred 80 years ago and their way of speaking would have been a lot different then. we speak using pretty direct, vulgar language now. back then they would have i wish an older person who is fluent in Chinese could explain this but thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question.

  • @thesussexbunion
    @thesussexbunion Před 4 měsíci +160

    I love hearing a Scots accent correctly narrating this. Thank you!❤

    • @Cricket2731
      @Cricket2731 Před 4 měsíci +3

      The narrator didn't sound Scottish to me. He sounded more Chinese to me.

    • @DwightHalpert
      @DwightHalpert Před 4 měsíci +2

      i think it's annoying

    • @angharadswansea9343
      @angharadswansea9343 Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@DwightHalpert why do you say that?

    • @DwightHalpert
      @DwightHalpert Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@angharadswansea9343 i don't know. very intricate pronounciation just irritates me

    • @eh1702
      @eh1702 Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@Cricket2731 No, certainly a west/central Scottish accent.

  • @sandicmxr
    @sandicmxr Před 4 měsíci +215

    People on the outside think it's a wonderful life but the agony of loneliness has got to be gut wrenching

    • @rhondasisco-cleveland2665
      @rhondasisco-cleveland2665 Před 4 měsíci +15

      I’m not sure everyone has experienced loneliness. Some people don’t ever need or feel an emotional bond with ANYONE. Others came from healthy, loving homes, and they always feel connected. Then again, some people have no empathy, so would never consider how she would have felt. You are blessed with understanding.

    • @kingjoe3rd
      @kingjoe3rd Před 4 měsíci +5

      It's probably not even a lonliness that the average person could even understand. It's probably more comparable to that of a celebrity where everyone treats you great when you know that you are probably not all that great.

    • @Kunkali
      @Kunkali Před 4 měsíci +11

      @@kingjoe3rdthey were extremely isolated in the forbidden city... wives and concubines having their own dwellings where they were forced to stay, only being able to interact with servants

    • @neoqueenserenity4590
      @neoqueenserenity4590 Před 4 měsíci

      Whoever think it’s a wonderful life, knows nothing about the life of a concubine.

    • @milascave2
      @milascave2 Před 4 měsíci +7

      @@Kunkali And also not. permited to leave it.

  • @HelenaMikas
    @HelenaMikas Před 3 měsíci +40

    What a terrible life Wenxiu had between a happy childhood and being divorced .Her tiny home was at least filled with real love.She actually proved she was superior to those who have taunted her- As for Puyi she lost nothing there. Many thanks liked and subscribed :

  • @justkiddin84
    @justkiddin84 Před 4 měsíci +101

    Puyi really had no right to agree that anyone was ugly.😡

    • @justkiddin84
      @justkiddin84 Před 4 měsíci +12

      Inbreeding among royals and the rich is not a good thing.

    • @alexl.-a.1125
      @alexl.-a.1125 Před 3 měsíci +7

      ​@@justkiddin84 not in China.
      Zaifeng, Prince Chun and Youlan, his main wife and Puyi's mother were not related. Ronglu was not direct descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan. Zaitian's parents were not related. Curiously, both Zaitian and Youlan were good looking when young.

    • @danan9061
      @danan9061 Před 3 měsíci +2

      ​@@justkiddin84inbreeding didnt happen much for chinese emporers. The empress dowager sometimes got some family memebers in the harem but usually the next emperor came from on of the othe hundred of women in the harem

    • @user-ls9hs9iw3v
      @user-ls9hs9iw3v Před 3 měsíci +2

      Wenxu is NOT pretty at all and too young to be his concubine.

    • @justkiddin84
      @justkiddin84 Před 3 měsíci +7

      @@user-ls9hs9iw3v seriously? You are look shaming a long dead lady here, why?

  • @prarthitaghosh
    @prarthitaghosh Před 4 měsíci +181

    Can we just agree that Pu Yi deserved none of the 2 beautiful women 🤷🏻‍♀️

    • @wymmyw8744
      @wymmyw8744 Před 3 měsíci +17

      he later got caught by the soviets, repatriated, imprisoned in china, got humbled so hard he worked as a gardener, then married a nurse, worked as an literature editor and lived the rest of his life relatively happy.. what a luck.. what a life..

    • @m.s.9744
      @m.s.9744 Před 3 měsíci +3

      No we cannot agree

    • @selmahare
      @selmahare Před 3 měsíci +10

      Nah he was a match with the other bully, the Empress. Those two did deserve each other. What is sad tho is that he himself was broken as a child, getting separated from his mother while he was still a toddler and made into an Emperor at such a young age. God knows what those adults around him, in the forbidden city (from eunuchs to officials) did to him growing up, behind those thick closed doors. What a sick system.

    • @user-xk1oy1tf2r
      @user-xk1oy1tf2r Před 2 měsíci +2

      Well he didn't but he was trapped in a system.

    • @bastait
      @bastait Před 2 měsíci

      yea no we can agreew factitude says a lot and backs up none of it with anything but his opinion.

  • @ncox001
    @ncox001 Před 4 měsíci +34

    It should be noted that Wenxiu married the Emperor after the later had actually lost the throne. so it was an empty title - at least until the Japanese-controlled Manchukuo empire, by which time they were divorced. It is true that the Imperial Family were expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, but it was the Revolution of 1912 which led to PuYi's abdication.

  • @notimefornonsense722
    @notimefornonsense722 Před 4 měsíci +381

    Never heard a more poetic way of describing a gay man. " preferred the land way rather than the water way"😂😂😂

    • @craigcook9715
      @craigcook9715 Před 4 měsíci +32

      I like the much older "cut sleeve" which is a reference to Emperor Ai of Han (and his male paramour).

    • @notimefornonsense722
      @notimefornonsense722 Před 4 měsíci +15

      @@craigcook9715 never heard this one either😅

    • @skaldlouiscyphre2453
      @skaldlouiscyphre2453 Před 4 měsíci +25

      Anyway, my brother Puyi, he's uh...he's a little off to the side, you know? Uh, foofy. Uh, up to the knuckle. He's uh...he's a backwards mechanic, likes to play in the dirt.

    • @notimefornonsense722
      @notimefornonsense722 Před 4 měsíci +19

      @@skaldlouiscyphre2453 recently the term is Diddy 🤭🤭🤭

    • @babydollrock
      @babydollrock Před 4 měsíci +7

      ​@@notimefornonsense722 You mean Diddy means gay? ....

  • @halimasultan03
    @halimasultan03 Před 3 měsíci +15

    I think it should be emphasized a bit more how miserable Wanrong was. The video makes her an antagonists, but many time she was just as tortured and lonely. Also, the end of Wenxiu's life as "quiet sorrow, I wouldnt say. She and her husband were very poor, but they were truly in love and happy with each other. When she passed, her husband was by her side, holding her hand. She was happy that he was there and that they were truly in love. I think it is more triumphant than sorrowful. We should see her strength and end as a victory story, than solemn sorrow. Wanrong lived a miserable life and had a very horrible end. I think that should be more noted. Really all 3 of them were victims of the cruel times :(

    • @einezcrespo2107
      @einezcrespo2107 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Unfortunately that part is rather true because 1. Wanrong was the queen bee. 2. Wenxiu was just the secondary consort. Puyi didn't know how to handle that situation. The rivalry between the two women got worse as time went on. It is known that they didn't really get along unlike in Bernardo Bertollucci's film. They were never friends and Wanrong was rather haughty to Wenxiu. I agree Wanrong didn't deserve her tragic ending either.

  • @milascave2
    @milascave2 Před 4 měsíci +35

    By the time, the emperor was a total figurehead. While the rest of China was being torn apart by rival warlords and their personal armies, The emperor was in a golden cage. The forbidden city was the only place where he had power, and he was not permitted to ever leave it.I expect that it was the same of these wives. He was taken care of by unicks, but they were completely corrupt and were robbing him, until he finally fired them all. Can you imagine how distorted his view of the world must have been, treated like an absolute ruler within the city, but completely isolated from the events going on around him.
    It was the same when the Japanese made him the official ruler of "Manchu," the section of Manchuria that they controlled. He was given the title of emperor and a lavish house and villa, but again, he could not leave it.
    As soon as the Japanese left, the Communists captured him, and he was put in a real prison. He claimed to have converted complexly to Maoism when he was let out, and, even though he still had no basic life skills, like flushing the toilet or remembering to keep his bus ticket, he found work as a gardener. But, just as the Cultural Revolution started, he got cancer. He got trapped between high government officials that wanted to give him special privileges and radical young red guards who did not, and invaded the hospital by force to try and enforce their will.. So the hospital staff pretty much ignored him, didn't give him pain medication, and he died a miserable death.

    • @SoonGone
      @SoonGone Před 3 měsíci

      I didn't know any of that. He was a gardener, how bizarre.

    • @lauriepowell3959
      @lauriepowell3959 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@SoonGone. In the end, he really did seem to have “preferred the land way,” and became a gardener. Hee, hee!

    • @yerejun
      @yerejun Před 2 měsíci

      That is so tragic. He was completely neglected at the end of his life

    • @plautus-jc8be
      @plautus-jc8be Před měsícem

      i stay at my hopme 24/7, which is tiny compared to the forbidden city, and u call it a golden cage, ur ridiculous

    • @yerejun
      @yerejun Před měsícem

      @@plautus-jc8be just means that he is in his own prison cell not free to do as he wish even though the prison cell is lavish but not free to be a true ruler

  • @soyjoyy
    @soyjoyy Před 4 měsíci +70

    "He preferred the land way to the water way" Those Chinese euphemisms man💀

    • @_Wai_Wai_
      @_Wai_Wai_ Před 3 měsíci +1

      I don't get it

    • @lower_than_furries9727
      @lower_than_furries9727 Před 2 měsíci

      He preferred the company of men. He is gay. Got it?

    • @aiden3627
      @aiden3627 Před 2 měsíci

      @@_Wai_Wai_I think it’s referencing someone being ‘hard’ and someone being ‘wet’ essentially saying he liked the P not the V

    • @ruuoxi
      @ruuoxi Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@@_Wai_Wai_Women often described as water in chinese poetry and literature. And men as rock

  • @Mark3ABE
    @Mark3ABE Před 3 měsíci +13

    He never reigned as Emperor in China - the Dowager Empress Longyu acted as Regent during his infancy and abdicated on his behalf in 1912. His position in Manchuria was purely nominal. It was a Japanese colony.

  • @Deepbluecat
    @Deepbluecat Před 4 měsíci +184

    Well done! Thank you for not using AI. Looking forward to more from you.

    • @KDiamond666
      @KDiamond666 Před 4 měsíci +14

      Fr! I’m so tired of them AI 😂 I just blocked those channels

    • @rnkim2564
      @rnkim2564 Před 4 měsíci +3

      love your accent and the content, of course

    • @vintage6346
      @vintage6346 Před 4 měsíci +2

      ​@@Skootfairy
      13 days ago?

    • @rkabcdefg
      @rkabcdefg Před 3 měsíci +1

      2:54 was clearly ai

  • @beverlychase3587
    @beverlychase3587 Před 4 měsíci +58

    Wow what a story - I totally enjoyed hearing this story - it was a haunting and sad epic tale.

  • @heliotropezzz333
    @heliotropezzz333 Před 4 měsíci +33

    A fuller picture of Puyi's life is available on Wikipedia. It is even more extraordinary than portrayed here.

  • @soniareyes88
    @soniareyes88 Před 4 měsíci +71

    What a elegant way of learning! The narrator was perfect and I even added the movie "The Last Emperor", to my movies list. KUDOS

    • @feraudyh
      @feraudyh Před 4 měsíci +3

      Yes , the narrator is very good

    • @sandybeach6743
      @sandybeach6743 Před 4 měsíci +4

      I watched the last emperor. My bucket list after that was to see the forbidden city which I did a few years later.

    • @MA-2020
      @MA-2020 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I watched that movie when I was a little kid in the mid 90's. The movie left me with a strong impression. I really liked it.

    • @ungrateful-66
      @ungrateful-66 Před 4 měsíci +1

      It was really good but because of the documentary-like low def nature of pace feels long but still great. I'd love to see a for-Western audiences remake of that movie since it's been a while.

  • @lidzyboo
    @lidzyboo Před 4 měsíci +14

    12 years ago, I was 14, and found a beautiful red book called empress orchid. An interesting and poignant read, beautiful at times, hilarious in others, it’s not quite the historical biography of wenxiu but it’s clearly based off of the conflicts that arose between wanrong and wenxiu. The book was actually so macabre by the end I didn’t read the sequel , the last empress, but this video covers the history well. It seems pertinent that mao could have easily used the wildly dysfunctional throuple in this video as a firm basis of rhetoric for his own madness.

  • @andreaandrea6716
    @andreaandrea6716 Před 4 měsíci +65

    This was well made! I was so surprised. So many documentary type videos on youtube are rubbish. This was NOT! It was really well done and interesting (and humourous in bits). Thank you.

  • @maureenshepheard9867
    @maureenshepheard9867 Před 4 měsíci +45

    JUST LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS MANS VOICE , AND HIS STORY TELLING. GIMME MORE❤❤❤

    • @rashidahr4043
      @rashidahr4043 Před 4 měsíci +3

      Yes lovely Scottish accent perhaps Edinburgh

    • @Zodroo_Tint
      @Zodroo_Tint Před 4 měsíci

      I didn't read your comment but I'm sure the answer is: On the left side of the keyboard in the middle.

  • @maggiegarber246
    @maggiegarber246 Před 4 měsíci +79

    The movie “The Last Emperor “ was beautiful but this info (his sexuality, the wives’ ages, etc. )wasn’t included at all, or maybe I just have forgotten it. I felt sorry for him as a child…a ruler and a prisoner, all in one.

    • @lynchonthego
      @lynchonthego Před 4 měsíci +14

      It was there, it’s worth a rewatch…but also consider how little representation LGBTQ ppl had during the time that movie was made so it will be really subtle

    • @kaidanalenko5222
      @kaidanalenko5222 Před 4 měsíci +12

      You must watch madame butterfly if you want lgbtq in imperial china.

    • @SewardWriter
      @SewardWriter Před 4 měsíci +7

      ​@kaidanalenko5222 Do you mean M. Butterfly? That wasn't really LGBT. It was a tale of deception.

    • @Mostlymid
      @Mostlymid Před 4 měsíci +6

      ​@@SewardWriterno, the opera, Madame Butterfly

    • @milascave2
      @milascave2 Před 4 měsíci

      The movie depicts him having his two wives in bed in a happy threesome. Though it did show that his second wife left him, and his first wife became a severe opium addict, there was no mention of any sexual weirdness or did function or any homosexual or pedophilia or sadistic tendencies, and there was not in the book version of "The last emperor," either though it covered some different aspects of his life then the movie did.
      He came across more like a leaf blown along by the winds of history than a man who was personally malignant, although they did show him committing enact of cruelty towards a servant as a child.

  • @gojewla
    @gojewla Před 4 měsíci +31

    Wow, what horrible people. I remember watching The Last Emperor and feeling some kind of sympathy for him. I guess not anymore!

    • @kathrynletchford5114
      @kathrynletchford5114 Před 3 měsíci +3

      Yep. They are really horrible, to each other, that's for sure..

  • @eyeseeeee
    @eyeseeeee Před 4 měsíci +60

    GREAT👏job narrating im sure Wenxiou was more happier as a poor civilian than as a Consort

  • @mentallydisturbedscience8900
    @mentallydisturbedscience8900 Před 4 měsíci +11

    You know it’s bad when the rival wife tries to calm things down.

  • @KimiPetri
    @KimiPetri Před 4 měsíci +124

    You held my attention with every word. You are a great relayer of information, and storytelling. Thank you. 😊

    • @nicolamillar4958
      @nicolamillar4958 Před 4 měsíci +7

      I've said the same. I love this Guys narration. He's Scottish!! As am I. '🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿The Brave'

    • @aileennilsen6653
      @aileennilsen6653 Před 4 měsíci

      Ya!+rqyy+wyqyqqywqyyqyyyqqyqyq!555qqqqqqqqqq4qqqqqq4wwwqwq4qqqqqqqqqqqqwq4q4qq4qqqqq4q.q4.n​@@nicolamillar4958

    • @Dawne41
      @Dawne41 Před 4 měsíci +2

      Totally agree with you

    • @Lisa-x3n5x
      @Lisa-x3n5x Před 4 měsíci +2

      Ditto. I just subscribed.

    • @patricialuboff7667
      @patricialuboff7667 Před 4 měsíci +3

      That was a good video!

  • @alexl.-a.1125
    @alexl.-a.1125 Před 3 měsíci +10

    Just a small observation here: I am just a few minutes into the video and it is worth to say that she was not a "meager" consort. She could had it worst, being below the consort rank (concubine, noble lady, 1st attendant, 2nd attendant), but of course she could have it better, anyways, above her there was only the empress. And as a consort she was officially a wife, unlike the ranks below her, so she got enough, considering her family background.
    The other thing is that she didn't get remote quarters for her, she was given the Changchung Palace, which was previously inhabited and expanded by Cixi in her latest years, compounding two palaces into one; Wan Rong was given the Chuxiu Palace, next to the gardens which had become a compound as well by being expanded by Cixi, joining the Yikun and Chuxiu palaces together when the alley between them got removed. And both were the most well kept palaces available at the time, from all the twelve for the concubines. Also, both were on the West side that had a more updated accomodations than the East side. In any case Wenxiu was the closest to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where Puyi resided.

  • @caragarcia2307
    @caragarcia2307 Před 4 měsíci +4

    Wenxiu had the most normal life experience of the three of them. They were probably jealous that she understood their dangerous circumstances better than the others and didn't want to face reality.

  • @12thDecember
    @12thDecember Před 4 měsíci +60

    Very sad lives for all of them, as it turns out. Thanks for this episode. ♥

  • @bonitabosse4000
    @bonitabosse4000 Před 4 měsíci +108

    You are by far the most enjoyable story teller on CZcams

    • @walkawaycat431
      @walkawaycat431 Před 4 měsíci +5

      He is really good. Mrballen tells a good story as well.

    • @Zodroo_Tint
      @Zodroo_Tint Před 4 měsíci

      Do you even know how many story teller on CZcams? Saying he is the best is dishonest.

  • @lovenikolatesla846
    @lovenikolatesla846 Před 4 měsíci +46

    This story blew me away, and you told it very well 👍🏽

    • @Threadbow
      @Threadbow Před 4 měsíci +3

      You should read wild swans.

  • @dejablue5746
    @dejablue5746 Před 3 měsíci +5

    Raise The Red Lantern is a fantastic movie about the intrigues between Chinese wives starring the beautiful Gong Li. Awesome movie!

  • @susansusan6612
    @susansusan6612 Před 4 měsíci +22

    So, a quick search to find out some of the ages of these people…. and I’m horrified and disgusted.
    He was 10ish and the consort was 13ish when they first married, and I’m not sure about the empress…
    It was also said he was 2 when he was put on the throne.
    I can understand the immaturity and ignorance, they were children and were never taught properly…. pretty much the same problem’s going on in the modern age .

    • @helene4397
      @helene4397 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Pu Yi was around 15 when he married. His Empress was also 15, and his secondary consort was 12.

    • @kaidanalenko5222
      @kaidanalenko5222 Před 4 měsíci +3

      I think you came from country that doesn't have a history of monarchy.
      A toddler cannot rule a country, in puyi's case its the grand empress dowager that actually run the empire, infant kings are always puppet and a mere figure head.

    • @susansusan6612
      @susansusan6612 Před 4 měsíci

      @@kaidanalenko5222 "Guest" ?
      And I didn't say he was ruling, I said they put him on the throne.
      Reading and comprehension....

    • @kaidanalenko5222
      @kaidanalenko5222 Před 4 měsíci +4

      @@susansusan6612 you wrote awfully, blame yourself 🤭

  • @Peter-jo3wt
    @Peter-jo3wt Před 4 měsíci +12

    I thoroughly enjoyed this history, as it played well to fill-in the backdrop of this period.
    As a fan of the Anime, The Apothecary Diaries, it spoke to the pomp and circumstance, the dirty tricks and the intrigue of the back-Palace.
    This story is all the better for being true.

  • @Usercantwelve
    @Usercantwelve Před 4 měsíci +17

    The Last Emperor by Bertalucci is a beautiful Film.

    • @GAF301
      @GAF301 Před 4 měsíci

      Bertolucci

  • @janwalker8716
    @janwalker8716 Před 4 měsíci +12

    FYI. Back when all this happened it was Peking as they hadn’t changed the name to Beijing until communist rule and the spelling of the name became romanized. 🙂

  • @DocAcher
    @DocAcher Před 4 měsíci +28

    Poor Wenxiu!! To suffer so much at such a young age too... I'm so glad she escaped

  • @jobella2656
    @jobella2656 Před 4 měsíci +22

    'Puyi proffered the land way( beef) to the water way (fish)" poetically beautifully well said, sadly like all royals puppets of power.

    • @joycecollingwood6629
      @joycecollingwood6629 Před 4 měsíci +1

      What does that mean?

    • @helengren9349
      @helengren9349 Před 4 měsíci +3

      @@joycecollingwood6629 someone explained it in other comment above...👍

    • @tashaonly
      @tashaonly Před 4 měsíci

      He likes poopy rather than pee pee passage. 🙃

    • @grandmillenial7960
      @grandmillenial7960 Před 3 měsíci

      ​@joycecollingwood6629 Too much knowledge is a curse ,please preserve your innocence

    • @jobella2656
      @jobella2656 Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@grandmillenial7960 A lack of knowledge is a blessing , please preserve your common sense.

  • @Cardinal1957
    @Cardinal1957 Před 4 měsíci +48

    Interestingly, there were no children with either woman.... Sad, sad story.

    • @YeshuaKingMessiah
      @YeshuaKingMessiah Před 4 měsíci +28

      He didn’t sleep with women

    • @prof113
      @prof113 Před 4 měsíci +51

      Thankfully, there were no children....

    • @justadildeau
      @justadildeau Před 3 měsíci +5

      "He prefer the muddy path" ㊗️🈹️🈲️

    • @jackiecarter5193
      @jackiecarter5193 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@justadildeau oh , now I get it!!

  • @zippymufo9765
    @zippymufo9765 Před 4 měsíci +35

    THE LAST EMPEROR was a great movie but didn't even come close to depicting how fucked up Puyi was.

    • @mssmssmssmss
      @mssmssmssmss Před 4 měsíci +2

      The views of the Chinese go etnment and people had to be considered in the making of the film.

    • @mssmssmssmss
      @mssmssmssmss Před 4 měsíci

      government

    • @zippymufo9765
      @zippymufo9765 Před 4 měsíci +3

      @@mssmssmssmss That's true, the Chinese government had to approve the script.

  • @user-kf6lu4dn2r
    @user-kf6lu4dn2r Před 4 měsíci +10

    Besides having the far wealthier, nobler family there was the fact that Wanrong was 16 while Wenxiu was only about 12 to 13. The most urgent duty of the empress was to birth a son to secure the dynasty, and control the imperial Harem. Wenxiu was simply too young to do the job, while Wanrong was old enough and she was far more ready for the job than Wenxiu was.

  • @singwithSol
    @singwithSol Před 2 měsíci +4

    Such a beautiful narration! I simply loved & enjoyed it!

  • @nickjohnson811
    @nickjohnson811 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I remember being a poor teenager, working at a private airport where I frequently encountered a rich guy who had 5 cars and 3 planes. He would rush to the airport to fly his toys, but it was obvious that he wasn't really happy. I realized then that money doesn't lead to happiness. The lives of many people in these palaces must have been miserable.

  • @astrolingus
    @astrolingus Před 4 měsíci +44

    Poor child! How disgusting, a 12 year old child. What a horrible life.

  • @francesshea6633
    @francesshea6633 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Awesome story telling. You actually have to feel bad for both women. He was an immature person who never grew up and may not have known it himself - gay.

  • @christinabingham1477
    @christinabingham1477 Před 4 měsíci +27

    One correction. Fragile mindset? Because she was a young women in horrible abusive circumstances an empress with little rights married to a cruel sociopath who liked to torture people with cruel pranks and no doubt other behaviors! Please don’t describe a women who was going through an experience like as a fragile mindset because she wasn’t coping!

    • @PhilJonesIII
      @PhilJonesIII Před 4 měsíci +7

      She was made fragile. Your 'sanity' is a function of your peers. Place a person in an environment where all human contact is hostile and where the rules of behavior are different and strict and the result is heavy insecurity.

    • @helengren9349
      @helengren9349 Před 4 měsíci +1

      ☝️There are grownups these days, that are fragile❗🤷 Blessings 🙏🕊️🌟

    • @Zodroo_Tint
      @Zodroo_Tint Před 4 měsíci +1

      She was fragile. Saying she was not is denying her abuse.

  • @snowqueen3823
    @snowqueen3823 Před 4 měsíci +9

    Thank you so much for this. Really caught my attention and I was hooked! Looking forward to seeing more! Terribly sad story. So sad the wife who divorced puyi didn’t have a happy ever after. The empress was vile too but she was obviously jealous and was never truly loved. So she was to be pitied a bit too. Obviously Puyi
    was a tyrant and monster, but in a way it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was ruined as a human being by the total power he was given and the fact his every wish was granted. No one ever said no or that’s not right. If any child has no boundaries and is spoilt utterly then I think it’s safe to say they won’t be very nice people. For him though, as a gay man, it must have been awful to have to keep up the pretence of being straight all his life. It doesn’t excuse his behaviour, but it may go some way to explain why he was such a terrible human being.

  • @dianawatton7570
    @dianawatton7570 Před 4 měsíci +15

    I saw the movie last Emperor it was very sad and made me cry but of course being a movie you can't believe everything you see and hear. But I think he did have a very sad life.

    • @mickey1849
      @mickey1849 Před 3 měsíci +3

      Actually, he was finally released from prison in 1958. The Communists gave him a very cushy job at the palace museum (aka the Forbidden City). It was during the decade of the 60s that he found true love and remarried (with a nurse). He also enjoyed his job and riding his bike to work on warm days. He said later that this was the "happiest time of his life."

  • @Rendosian
    @Rendosian Před 4 měsíci +17

    Amazing story telling!

  • @Pixi80p
    @Pixi80p Před 2 měsíci +1

    I grew up with the movie "The Last Emperor" as an epic favorite of mine. It was a beautifully done movie, though I knew much of the movie would be dressed up for Hollywood. I am so glad to see a bit more of the story now. Thanks for sharing it!

  • @createwithkas
    @createwithkas Před 4 měsíci +16

    8:24 “ people were so childish back then. You wouldn’t say that these days”
    😂 touché ! 👏

    • @issness_god
      @issness_god Před 3 měsíci

      the typo rivalry is wrong. the real interaction was just wenxiu and wanrong being polite to each other.

  • @1stp4ward
    @1stp4ward Před 4 měsíci +15

    Puyi reminds me of Russia's Peter III. Feeble minded at best.

  • @bigmama818
    @bigmama818 Před 4 měsíci +33

    WOW , gay man and married to two women at the same time !

  • @patricialong5767
    @patricialong5767 Před 4 měsíci +19

    I saw the movie, The Last Emperor, and that was quite the story!

  • @Cobbmtngirl
    @Cobbmtngirl Před 4 měsíci +12

    Great narrator. I’ll add my comment to all the others. My fav on the channel.

  • @einezcrespo2107
    @einezcrespo2107 Před 4 měsíci +16

    In the end Wenxiu found a degree of happiness something which was denied her as an imperial consort. She had a lucky escape.

    • @gunadihudaya6041
      @gunadihudaya6041 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Nobody had lucky escape in ww2 era china back then. There was no safe haven any where. As every place was a battlefield

    • @einezcrespo2107
      @einezcrespo2107 Před 2 měsíci

      @@gunadihudaya6041What I meant is Wenxiu had a lucky escape from a farce of a marriage where she was the "other woman." Wanrong didn't fare well due to her addiction to opium and eventual neglect by Puyi. Wanrong became a sideshow while incarcerated. She died from opium addiction withdrawal and malnutrition.

  • @Lppt87
    @Lppt87 Před 2 měsíci +2

    14:14 who spits on the ground randomly? Specially since she was in a garden she could have spit towards a plant or something? A spit isn’t a sneeze. You can control it.
    Either she is a really unclean girl or she did it on purpose.

  • @bluekimchiandrea4476
    @bluekimchiandrea4476 Před 4 měsíci +10

    I dont think she would have had a choice to refuse the marriage?

  • @mhorrighan
    @mhorrighan Před 4 měsíci +17

    short version: he was gay (probably)

  • @UTAU53Yui
    @UTAU53Yui Před 3 dny

    The characters you use to accompany Wenxiu's name are淑妃 Shu Fei, which is her title in her marriage. The characters for Wenxiu are 文绣。

  • @oceansams5886
    @oceansams5886 Před 4 měsíci +17

    Interesting story of " not so glamorous " life of the royals

  • @teoleno4019
    @teoleno4019 Před 4 měsíci +15

    I didn't know she was Mongolian. That is so cool.

  • @rebeccarittenhouse2203
    @rebeccarittenhouse2203 Před 4 měsíci +12

    None of these people had a good life.

  • @moongypsyguerrero1925
    @moongypsyguerrero1925 Před 4 měsíci +23

    The emperor was a jerk

    • @MA-2020
      @MA-2020 Před 4 měsíci +4

      What would you expect from a spoiled kid.

  • @fieldsofgold775
    @fieldsofgold775 Před 3 měsíci +12

    & to think of Diana Princess of Wales once saying . “Well there were 3 of us in this marriage” or something to that effect.

    • @deniseelsworth7816
      @deniseelsworth7816 Před 2 měsíci +1

      More than three if she'd counted her own lovers into the mix.

  • @blubeagle55
    @blubeagle55 Před 4 měsíci +9

    Puyi was messed up. Glad she got away.

  • @elainevankat5353
    @elainevankat5353 Před 4 měsíci +15

    Wow, Such an amazing interesting story! And, you are a master at storytelling👏 THANK YOU!

  • @user-fu6rf1vi5b
    @user-fu6rf1vi5b Před 4 měsíci +10

    Abuse is so horrible

  • @Mehki227
    @Mehki227 Před 4 měsíci +12

    I recommend watching Raise the Red Lantern 🏮🏮🏮!

    • @emghee2510
      @emghee2510 Před 4 měsíci +4

      That's a good movie! One of my faves in middle school. Curse of the Golden Flower is up there too. 🤌

  • @hinas_for_life
    @hinas_for_life Před 27 dny

    Very nicely put together video, thank you from Tokyo!!

  • @elementochannel6994
    @elementochannel6994 Před 3 měsíci +4

    "spineless rulers doom their kingdom" - a perfect thing to say here

  • @Ava-oc1dg
    @Ava-oc1dg Před 4 měsíci +20

    💚✌🏽Throughout Chinas history various hats were worn. I would love to know the significance of these hats.

  • @christopherellis2663
    @christopherellis2663 Před 4 měsíci +8

    Well then, the movie hid more than it told.

  • @PeaceJourney...
    @PeaceJourney... Před 4 měsíci +8

    Fascinating history and so well told. Liked and subbed💙

  • @galexcia
    @galexcia Před 4 měsíci +18

    Yeap thats why it was easy for him to be so cruel. He hated them because he wanted to be them

    • @Zodroo_Tint
      @Zodroo_Tint Před 4 měsíci +2

      I doubt it, he was gay, and they were women.

  • @Alusnovalotus
    @Alusnovalotus Před 4 měsíci +3

    Wouldn’t Consort Wenxiu be Guifei? She’d ONLY be below the empress. How would her palace be so far away from the central palace?

  • @VixGB
    @VixGB Před 4 měsíci +8

    I've watched a few vids of your content, you're the best narrator by far 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thank you 🙏🏻

  • @cafeaulait69
    @cafeaulait69 Před 4 měsíci +15

    So he married a child.

  • @cinemaipswich4636
    @cinemaipswich4636 Před 4 měsíci +17

    At near the same time in history, Edward the VIII held his mistress Wallis Simpson above the Royal Court.

  • @scottsweet501
    @scottsweet501 Před 4 měsíci +8

    When were you going to get to why he ran screaming from his wedding night?

  • @brenda9361
    @brenda9361 Před 4 měsíci +12

    Loved the movie “The Last Emperor”

    • @selmahare
      @selmahare Před 3 měsíci

      I liked it too but wouldn't watch it gain, because the movie kept it vanilla. The real story was a lot more fucked up apparently. He was a lot more messed up than the movie depicts.

  • @LucyPlop
    @LucyPlop Před 4 měsíci +2

    This video was actual snagging, understandable, digestible, and week or together! Thank you!

  • @tasfiatasfiislam6571
    @tasfiatasfiislam6571 Před 4 měsíci +21

    "Puyi preferred the land way to the water way"
    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @wrennspencer6070
    @wrennspencer6070 Před 4 měsíci +2

    I object to presenting these 2 11 year old girls as "women", mattied to a sadistic narcissist. They were both addicted, abused, and were still children. This entire story was incredibly sad.

  • @gabrielleswann6729
    @gabrielleswann6729 Před 4 měsíci +6

    Wan rong, ya wrong but wan empress, ya right 😅

  • @TomokoAbe_
    @TomokoAbe_ Před 4 měsíci +34

    My impression is that Puyi was gay.

  • @bdeas
    @bdeas Před 4 měsíci +8

    This guy lost his whole empire and all he could think about was his petty narcissistic concerns.

    • @WhoCaresNone
      @WhoCaresNone Před 2 měsíci

      He never reigned as Emperor even 1 day, then how would he lost the whole empire? They put him on the throne at 3 and until the day he was abdicated, the power was in someone’s hands. As history stated, the empire was about lost during the reign of Dowager Cixi .

  • @mickey1849
    @mickey1849 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I like your narration style and tone of voice. It's very beguiling.

  • @paracasnazca1439
    @paracasnazca1439 Před 4 měsíci +4

    This video is a complement to the film The Last Emperor. Thanks

  • @NaturalWorld253
    @NaturalWorld253 Před 3 měsíci +4

    I still don’t understand why women choose to tear each other down instead of lifting each other up. Both women were married to the emperor they would have done better if they had jointed forces.

  • @SusanSez1
    @SusanSez1 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Really interesting and well presented! Thank you!

  • @JJW77
    @JJW77 Před 4 měsíci +9

    Excellent presentation on this video!

  • @michellecrocker2485
    @michellecrocker2485 Před 4 měsíci +8

    I think these two could have been good friends if Puyi had been better at encouraging it but he more or less fostered the rivalry

  • @talkdtwo
    @talkdtwo Před 4 měsíci +4

    Excellent historical overview. What a sad thing.

  • @deborahwatson2432
    @deborahwatson2432 Před 4 měsíci +7

    Fascinating story ❤
    Thank you!

  • @lalida6432
    @lalida6432 Před měsícem

    Beautiful as Bertolucci’s film was, it was light on the explanation.

  • @serpentlaw5961
    @serpentlaw5961 Před 4 měsíci +4

    I also _"prefer the land way than the water way"_ . Lol. Thank you for this excellent and gripping documentary.

    • @morbidsweetness
      @morbidsweetness Před 4 měsíci +1

      Hi, what is land way and water way?

    • @serpentlaw5961
      @serpentlaw5961 Před 4 měsíci +2

      ​@@morbidsweetness Welll...erm...Child, let me tell you, these are grown up topics. The _"land way"_ means "hugging guys" and the _"water way"_ means "hugging girls". Some men and some women don't like to hug each other because then, there would be too many children in thaaa worrrrld and nobody to take care of them. LOL.