Here's the short, free version:
- P'u Yi was indeed the Last Emperor- the movies got it right on this count.
- The "successor" government, Sun and Yuan's Chinese Republic was
established on Jan 1, 1912. But it wasn't until Feb 12 that the
pressure simply became too great, and the last domino fell- Pu Yi
abdicated his throne.
- Since that day, the "Chinese Empire" has ceased to exist. In its
place has been a number of provisional governments as civil war raged.
The Japanese set up a puppet government with Pu Yi, but it was never
considered by anyone then or now to be representative of China.
In other words... Pu Yi was the last one. There are no more- Pu Yi
has no heirs and only one surviving brother, whose claim to the
"throne" is weak. It's up for grabs- should something happen and China
becomes overthrown by revolutionaries seeking to restore the Manchu
dynasty, there isn't a clear candidate. |