The last emperor of the Manchu dynasty, Pu Yi, was a tragic figure, a victim of cirmcumstances if ever there was one.

He was born in 1906, the nephew of the previous emperor, and was chosen to ascend the throne in 1908 by the Empress Dowager, Cixi, by then close to death.

With the Manchu Imperial structure imploding, he was destined to "rule" for only three years. The Republican revolution 1911 led by Sun Yat-sen toppled the last dynasty and forced Pu Yi's abdication. Part of the deal struck to ensure a reasonably peaceful transition from Empire to Republic was that Pu Yi would be allowed to remain living in the Imperial Palace with a shadow of the old court structure remaining around him. He studied the Chinese classics and, under the tutelege of an English diplomat, something of the wide world outside. He took the English name of Henry, but never learned to speak English. In 1923, he left the palace and lived in the Japanese Concession in Tianjin (Tientsin). In 1932, the Japanese made him head of the puppet state of Manchukuo, covering roughly the area from which the Manchu tribe emerged centuries before to conquer China. In 1934, he was crowned emperor again.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Pu Yi was captured by Soviet troops and was held by the Soviets until 1950, when he was transferred to a prison in China, now newly under the control of the Communist Party. He was in prison for nearly ten years. After his release, he spent the last eight years of his life as a gardener and librarian in Beijing.

In the mid-1960s, he had a private meeting with Chairman Mao. Nothing is known of the conversation between the two.