Yuyan (1918–1997),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Yanrui, nickname Xiaoruizi, was a Chinese calligrapher of Manchu descent. He was a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, the imperial clan of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. He claimed that he was appointed by

Puyi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

, the last

Emperor of China ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heav ...

, as the heir to the throne. His claim is the subject of the travel adventure book ''The Empty Throne'' by British journalist Tony Scotland.

Early life

Born in

Wangfujing Wangfujing () is a shopping street in Beijing, China, located in Dongcheng District. The majority of the main area is pedestrianised. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty there have been commercial activities in the area. In the Qing Dynas ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Yuyan was the second son of Pucheng (溥偁) and Jinggui (敬貴), a lady of the Fuca (富察) clan. His grandfather was Zailian (載濂; 1854–1917), a son of

Yicong Yicong ( Wade-Giles: ''Yi-tsung'')(23 July 1831 – 18 February 1889), formally known as Prince Dun (or Prince Tun), was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. Life Yicong was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the fifth son of the Daoguang Empero ...

(1831–1889), the fifth son of the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...

. He was a distant cousin of

, the Last Emperor. In 1936, Yuyan was summoned by Puyi, who had been enthroned as the ruler of the puppet state Manchukuo in 1934 by the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

, to join his imperial court in Changchun,

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

. Yuyan was very close to Puyi, who called him "Xiaoruizi" (小瑞子; or "Little Rui").

Life in the People's Republic of China

After the fall of Manchukuo, Yuyan was arrested by the Soviets and imprisoned from 1945 to 1950 near Khabarovsk in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

's Far East Region along with Puyi. He was later sent back to China, where he was incarcerated in the

Fushun War Criminals Management Centre Fushun War Criminals Management Centre (), also known as Liaodong No. 3 Prison or Liaoning No. 3 Prison, was the site of the 're-education' of Manchukuo, Kuomintang and Japanese Empire prisoners of war, held by China from 1950 onwards. It was ...

in Liaoning from 1950 to 1957. Yuyan was a

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...

to the Chinese throne. He claimed that Puyi appointed him as heir when they were both imprisoned in the Soviet Union in 1950. In his autobiography, Puyi wrote only that he considered selecting Yuyan as his heir.Henry Pu Yi, Paul Kramer, ''The Last Manchu: The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China'', p. 244. Under a succession law adopted in 1937, Puyi's younger brother,

Pujie Pujie (; 16 April 1907 – 28 February 1994) was a Qing dynasty imperial prince of the Aisin-Gioro. Pujie was the younger brother of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, Pujie went to Japan, where he was educated ...

, became next in line in succession to the throne. Following his release from Fushun, Yuyan worked as a Chinese language teacher, and later in a haberdashery factory. He was arrested in 1959 and sent for hard labour at a public security detention centre near

. Yuyan was arrested again in 1966 during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

and sent to do hard labour in Shanxi. He was only released in 1979 and allowed to return to Beijing, where he became a road sweeper.

After release from prison

Yuyan was a calligrapher and poet. In 1987, he was appointed as a state consultant on the restoration of the

Prince Gong Mansion Prince Gong's Mansion, also known as the Prince Kung Mansion, is a museum and tourist attraction located in Xicheng District, Beijing, just north of the Shichahai Lake. It consists of large siheyuan-style mansions and gardens. Originally c ...

. Yuyan is the main character in the book ''The Empty Throne: The Quest for an Imperial Heir in the People's Republic of China'' (1993) by the British journalist Tony Scotland. Scotland was searching for an heir to the imperial throne of China.

Family

* Elder sister: Yujuying (毓菊英), married Chen Yingsan (陳英三), son of Chen Zengshou (陳曾壽). * Spouses: ** Magiya Jinglan (馬佳靜蘭), of Manchu descent, married Yuyan in 1943. ** Zhang Yunfang (張雲訪), married Yuyan after Magiya Jinglan died in 1948 in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

. * Children: ** Hengzhen (恆鎮; b. 1944), eldest son, born to Magiya Jinglan, married Tu Yanling (塗艷玲). ** Hengkai (恆鎧; b. 1945), second son, born to Magiya Jinglan, married Liu Xiujuan (劉秀娟). ** Hengjun (恆鈞; b. 1966), third son, born to Zhang Yunfang, married Fan Qin (范秦; b. 1971). * Grandchildren: ** Hengxing (恆星; b. 1977), name also spelled as Hengxing (恆鍟), Hengzhen and Tu Yanling's son. ** Jin Yinghui (金英輝; b. 1980), also named Qiqi (啟琪), Hengkai and Liu Xiujuan's son. ** Jin Qitong (金啟桐; b. 29 October 1996), Hengjun and Fan Qin's daughter.

Ancestry

References

Succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuyan 1918 births 1997 deaths Chinese collaborators with Imperial Japan Qing dynasty imperial princes Manchu people Aisin Gioro Pretenders to the Chinese throne People of Manchukuo People of the Republic of China