Massive Locomotive at the Puppet Emperor's Palace 伪满洲皇宫
The Puppet Emperor’s Palace in Changchun is no doubt a far cry from the more grandiose imperial palace found in the Forbidden City. The Puppet Emperor’s Palace is much smaller and much more manageable than the magnificent but exhausting palace in the Forbidden City. Much history can be told in the Forbidden City as it has been the home of a lot of emperors from different dynasties, this is not so for the Puppet Emperor’s Palace which was specifically built for one single emperor. The “reign” of Puyi as emperor of the Manchu state didn’t last long to create its own dynasty as it was abandoned when the Soviets invaded Manchuria bringing abou the end of the Manchu state.
A Look at the City of Changchun 长春
The Puppet Emepror’s Palace can be described as a more of a mansion than a palace. Sure, it has its throne which definitely qualifies it as a palace, however, the emperor Puyi didn’t really have any power to begin with as much of the governing was done by the Japanese goes through Japanese approval. His supposed plans to restore Qing sovereignty never materialized until the fall of the Japanese. Puyi himself was captured by the Soviets when he was attempting to escape to Japan and was repatriated to China where he was “re-educated”. He lived good number of years and served as a consultant for the succeeding government until his death. However, rightly or wrongly, history will forever brand him as a traitor and collaborator to the enemy. Victim might be another appropriate description for him.
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