This Week in China - The Last Emperor Abdicates

This Week's Historical Theme: China

 

12 February 1912

 

A significant event throughout the history of China that occurred in February was the last emperor's abdication. Hsian-T'ung was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only 6 years old, was allowed to maintain his residence in Beijing's Forbidden City in exile. He took the name of Henry Pu Yi and was granted a large government pension. In 1934, Pu Yi was enthroned as K'ang Te, emperor of Manchukuo. He would hold onto this title until 1945, when he was captured by Soviet troops.

 

In 1946, Pu Yi testified before the Tokyo war crimes tribunal that he had been an unwilling tool of the Japanese and not, as they had claimed, an instrument of Manchurian self-determination. Manchuria and the Rehe province were returned to China, and in 1950, Pu Yi was handed over to the Chinese communists. He was imprisoned at Shenyang but was granted amnesty by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1959. After his release, he worked in a mechanical repair shop in Peking. He married in 1962 to Li Shuxian, but died five years later, and was buried near the Western Qing tombs in a commercial cemetery.

 

Want to find out more about Pu Yi? Click here for more information, or here for more about the wider history of China.

November 12 - Akihito Enthroned as Japanese Emperor

This Day in History: 12 November 2020

 

12 November 1990

 

30 years ago, today, Crown Prince Akihito was enthroned as the emperor of Japan, making him the 125^th Japanese monarch along an imperial line dating back to 660 B.C. He was the only son of the late Emperor Hirohito and became the first Japanese monarch to reign solely as an official figurehead. His father had begun his reign in 1926 as absolute, but his powers were very limited in practise. After the Japanese defeat in World War II, Hirohito was stripped of his power by the United States and forced to renounce his divinity. With this signing, amending the Japanese constitution, the emperor became the official figurehead of Japan.

 

In 1959, Akihito had caused controversy when he broke a 1,500-year-old tradition by marrying a commoner. She was Shoda Michiko, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The imperial couple subsequently had three children: Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino, and Princess Nori. When Akihito became emperor, he commenced a new Japanese era, known as 'Heisei', meaning 'achieving peace'. However, in April 2019, he stepped down from the throne, making him the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in over 200 years. He was succeeded by Naruhito.

 

Want to find out more about Akihito? Click here for more information, or here for a video of his abdication ceremony.