Wan Rong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled to deal with vandalism. If you are prevented from editing this article, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or create an account. |
| Xiaoke Empress | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gobelo, the Wan Rong Empress of China | ||
 |
||
| Born | November 13, 1906 | |
| Died | June 20, 1946 | |
| Prison of Yanji | ||
| Consort to | The Xuan-Tong Emperor | |
| Father | Minister Rong Yuan | |
| Mother | Aisin-Gioro, Second Princess | |
Gobelo, the Xiaoke Empress (Chinese: 孝恪愍皇后郭博勒氏); also known as Empress Wan Rong (Chinese: 婉容皇后) (13 November 1906 - 20 June 1946) was the last Empress Consort of the Qing Dynasty in China, and later Empress of Manchukuo (also known as the Manchurian Empire).
Biography
Gobelo Wan Rong was the daughter of Rong Yuan, the Minister of Domestic Affairs of the Qing Government. At the age of 17, Wan Rong married the Xuan Tong Emperor (a.k.a. Puyi), who resided in the Forbidden City as a non-sovereign monarch. Puyi's health is debated to this day, with some believing he was infertile. Others claim that he was homosexual. Records of the Qing court show that the Emperor and Empress were never sexually intimate, although the meaning of this is open to debate, since the records of the Qing court ended before the Emperor reached adulthood.
After the Xuan Tong Emperor was forced to abdicate in 1924, the emperor and empress moved from Beijing to the city of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing. There, they lived in the former residence of General Zhang (张园). With hope of the Manchu Empire, the emperor and empress moved to Changchun, Jilin to become rulers of Manchukuo, in March 1932. Realizing her husband had no real political power in Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan, Wan Rong's addiction to opium started to become serious. While living in the Manchurian palace, her opium addiction and lack of freedom adversely affected her mental health.
Puyi thereupon ordered Empress Wan Rong to be sent to the "Cold Palace" (冷宫), a palace for the isolation of emperors' disfavored consorts. In reality, Empress Wan Rong continued to reside in her previously assigned apartments throughout her stay in Changchun. The term "Cold Palace" was used merely to illustrate that the Emperor no longer visited or spent any time with her. Empress Wan Rong's health declined dramatically and she was barely able to stand up. When the Japanese were defeated in 1945, Puyi left China, abandoning Empress Wan Rong and some other imperial family members. Empress Wan Rong died alone in the Yanji Prison in Jilin Province (吉林省延吉监狱) in June 1946 after being captured by the Red Army. Puyi did not receive the news for another three years.
Empress Wan Rong started using opium when she was a teenager. According to Puyi's memoirs, it was fashionable for educated girls to smoke cigarettes at that time, and a small amount of opium was often added by the Chinese public as an analgesic. In Tianjin, Empress Wan Rong attempted unsuccessfully to quit opium. She did not become addicted to the drug until her time in Manchukuo.
Wan Rong was portrayed famously by Joan Chen for the 1987 picture The Last Emperor. The film elaborates specifically on her opium addiction and her spiral into deep depression, where she is portrayed as almost dying when she leaves Puyi, although there are a number of inaccuracies in the film, as a teenage Puyi is shown being intimate and sexual with his two wives when there is only contrary evidence.
Succession
| Preceded by Yehenara, the Empress Xiao Ding Jing (Chinese: 孝定景皇后叶赫那拉氏: 隆裕) |
Empress of Qing | Succeeded by None (Imperial Titles Abolished) |
