Portrait of Puyi

Birthday profile

Puyi

Puyi, Chinese emperor (died 1967)

Born
February 7, 1906
Died
October 17, 1967
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1906

About Puyi

Puyi (Chinese: 溥儀; pinyin: Pǔ Yí; Wade–Giles: P'u-i; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967) was the last emperor of China, having reigned as the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1908–1912, with a brief restoration in 1917) and later as the Kangde Emperor of Manchukuo, a Japanese puppet state during World War II. After the war, he was held as a war criminal in the Soviet Union and China until 1959, when the Chinese Communist Party granted him amnesty and presented him as a model of successful reeducation. In 1908, chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi to succeed the childless Guangxu Emperor, Puyi ascended the throne at age two with his father Prince Chun as regent. Following the Xinhai Revolution, Empress Dowager Longyu signed the abdication edict on Puyi's behalf; in return, the Articles of Favorable Treatment allowed him to retain his imperial title and remain in the Forbidden City. From 1 to 12 July 1917, the loyalist general Zhang Xun restored him to the throne. In 1924, warlord Feng Yuxiang expelled him from the palace, and Puyi took refuge in Tianjin. Following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Puyi was installed as emperor of Manchukuo in 1932. At the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, he was captured by the Soviet Red Army, testified at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal in 1946, and was repatriated to the People's Republic of China in 1950. After his release in 1959, Puyi published an autobiography (ghostwritten by Li Wenda) under pressure from the communist government and worked as a gardener before becoming a researcher at the Central Research Institute of Culture and History. He was protected by Zhou Enlai during the Cultural Revolution, and died in 1967 without issue. After his release, Puyi published an autobiography (ghostwritten by Li Wenda) under the pressure of the Communist government and became a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Zaifeng was a Manchu prince His great-grandfather was the Daoguang Emperor, his great-uncle was the Xianfeng Emperor, and his grandfather was Yixuan, the first person to hold the title of Prince Chun. In 1895, he founded the Army of North China, the dominant military force in China until 1927. Chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi, Puyi became emperor at the age of 2 years and 10 months in December 1908 after the Guangxu Emperor, Puyi's half-uncle, died childless on 14 November. After over 10 years of imprisonment for war crimes following the end of World War II, Puyi worked for four years as a gardener in Beijing, China.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Puyi timeline

  1. In 1895, he founded the Army of North China, the dominant military force in China until 1927.
  2. Chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi, Puyi became emperor at the age of 2 years and 10 months in December 1908 after the Guangxu Emperor, Puyi's half-uncle, died childless on 14 November.

The world when Puyi was born

Puyi was born in 1906. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1906

  • Best-selling bookThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports moment"Hitless Wonders" Chicago White Sox upset Cubs in World Series
  • Top headlineSan Francisco earthquake and fire — 3,000+ killed
  • Technology milestoneFirst radio broadcast of voice and music
  • World population~1.66B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderTheodore Roosevelt
  • U.S. population84.6M

1906 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Puyi's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19062026
Population84.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.