Where was Puyi, the last emperor of China, buried after his death?
He ascended the throne at the age of 3. Three years later, the Qing Dynasty was in his hands and was overthrown by the vigorous Revolution of 1911. The 6-year-old Puyi had no choice but to announce his voluntary abdication.
Even in this short three-year emperor career, Puyi was still a puppet emperor. Because he was too young, he only sat on the dragon throne symbolically. All matters big and small were controlled by his father Zaifeng and the others. I'm taking care of it. Later, in the puppet Manchukuo, he was supported by the Japanese as the "emperor", but he was actually a puppet.
In short, when Puyi was alive, he could not make his own decisions in everything.
So where was Puyi buried after his death? Is it true that he was buried in the imperial mausoleum as people said? At that time, the Qing Dynasty had been destroyed for more than half a century. How could he still be buried in the imperial mausoleum?
According to the feudal emperor system, as long as you are an emperor once, you can enter the imperial mausoleum after your death.
In fact, from the first day after Puyi ascended the throne, the Qing government began to select the site for his mausoleum. But unfortunately at that time, the Qing Dynasty was at the end of its rope and was in a period of internal and external difficulties and precarious conditions. Therefore, Puyi's "auspicious place" location selection was delayed.
The time came to 1916. Although Puyi had abdicated for several years, he still lived in the Forbidden City and enjoyed an annual subsidy of 4 million silver dollars from the Republic of China government. The old people of the Qing Dynasty who had nothing to do all day were busy choosing an "auspicious place" for the 10-year-old Puyi after his death.
They invited Li Qing from Lianzhou Prefecture in Guangdong, who was well versed in Feng Shui, to conduct on-site surveys at the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum and carefully select the site for Puyi’s mausoleum in accordance with the Qing court’s ancestral system.
This Li Qing was considered loyal to his duties. He visited every nook and cranny of the Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty, and finally selected the Fox Fairy Tower near the Taitung Tombs. Not only does it have the majestic and green Yongning Mountain in the north, and the winding and clear Yishui River in the south, but it also has tall pines and towering cypresses, making it an excellent Feng Shui place.
The Qing royal family immediately closed the place and began the construction of the mausoleum. However, just one year into the project, work was halted due to the complicated situation at the time.
In 1924, Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City by Feng Yuxiang. After that, Puyi never mentioned the matter of choosing a mausoleum.
On October 17, 1967, Puyi died of kidney cancer in Beijing, and his body was cremated immediately.
As for how to dispose of Puyi’s ashes, the leaders of New China gave Puyi great preferential treatment. It was clearly stated that respecting the opinions of his family members, he could choose to be buried in the Revolutionary Cemetery or the Wanan Cemetery. The deceased can also be buried in the cemetery of their choice according to the family's wishes.
In the end, Puyi’s family members unanimously decided to temporarily place Puyi’s ashes in the Babaoshan People’s Columbarium.
On May 29, 1980, the Chinese government held a memorial service for Puyi and then moved his ashes to Babaoshan Cemetery for burial.
You must know that Babaoshan Cemetery is the garden cemetery with the highest construction standards in my country. All the heroes who made significant contributions to the liberation and construction of New China are buried there.
As a former feudal emperor, Puyi not only lived a mediocre life, but also served as the "Emperor" of the Puppet Manchukuo Kingdom. However, because Puyi had exposed the crimes of the Japanese at the Tokyo Trial and had contributed to history, and he had been an emperor after all, he entered the Babaoshan Cemetery.
So, is Puyi buried in Babaoshan Cemetery?
No, Puyi’s final cemetery is in the Hualong Royal Cemetery. What’s going on?
In 1992, overseas businessman Zhang Shiyi decided to return to China to start a business. He took a fancy to a geomantic treasure land next to the Qingxi Mausoleum in Yixian County, Hebei Province, and decided to build a cemetery integrating burial, tourism, culture and education. This matter has received the attention of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. After the cemetery was completed, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs at the time personally inscribed the name "Hualong Royal Cemetery" for the cemetery.
In order to increase the popularity of the cemetery, Zhang Shiyi found Puyi's wife Li Shuxian to discuss moving Puyi's ashes to the Hualong Royal Cemetery, and the two parties finally reached an agreement.
On January 26, 1995, Puyi’s ashes were moved from Babaoshan Cemetery and, after a brief ceremony, were reburied in the Hualong Royal Cemetery. This place is far away from the Qingxi Tombs, very close to each other, but it is not part of the Qingxi Tombs.
This is Puyi’s ultimate ownership. Therefore, he was not buried in the imperial mausoleum in the end, but was buried next to the Qingxi Mausoleum.
In October 2006, Wanrong's tomb was also built by Zhang Shiyi, located next to Puyi's tomb. On November 13, Wanrong's birth anniversary, her clothes were buried here. Wanrong finally returned to Puyi many years after his death, and she and Puyi were able to stay together ever since.