Head of the House of Aisin Gioro

The House of Aisin Gioro established two dynastic regimes in Chinese history: the Later Jin (1616–1636) and the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). A Chinese emperor would pick one of his many sons, or another relative, to succeed him. During the Qing dynasty, a succession edict was hidden in the palace and read upon the death of the emperor.[1]

Part of a series on
Orders of succession
Former monarchies

After Puyi, China's last emperor, was ousted in 1912, the country was declared a republic. Puyi was emperor of Manchukuo, now northeastern China, in 1934–1945. He died without issue in 1967. His brother Prince Pujie was next in line under a 1937 succession law, the most recently published agreed upon succession rule.[2] Stories published in the Chicago Times and The New York Times acknowledge Pujie as heir of Puyi.[3]

Pujie died in 1994. He is survived by a daughter, Princess Husheng, who was born in 1941. However, the law restricts succession to males.[4] Several news stories have suggested that Jin Yuzhang, a nephew of Puyi and Pujie, is the current family head.[5]

Present line of succession

The Manchukuo order of succession provided for inheritance by Puyi's brothers and their male descendants. However, none of Puyi's three living nephews has any male offspring, so under a strict interpretation the "Manchukuo branch" will go extinct upon the deaths of the current generation.

However, if allowing for inheritance by primogeniture via emperors prior to Puyi, Peking Opera singer Huang Shixiang would also join the line of succession. It is unclear if he has any sons, and therefore the exact ranking of rival pretenders like Hengzhen is also unknown.

Alternative proposals

In The Empty Throne (1993), Tony Scotland tells how he found Prince Yuyan, who lived in a mud floor hovel near the imperial palace.[13] Yuyan, a distant cousin of Puyi, told Scotland that the former emperor made him heir to the throne in a ceremony performed while they were imprisoned in Russia together in 1950.[14] This claim is not supported by any official document, although it was customary in the Qing dynasty that an emperor name his successor in a will or edict. Puyi's autobiography confirms merely that the idea was discussed.[15] Yuyan died in 1997. His eldest son is Prince Hengzhen, who was born in 1944.[16] There is no indication that Yuyan designated him heir to the throne, or that he claims this status.

The Yuyan-Hengzhen lineage descends from prince Yicong, fifth son of the Daoguang Emperor. During the succession of 1875, Yicong's descendants were passed over in favor of those of the Daoguang Emperor's seventh son Yuxuan, who became father of the Guangxu Emperor, grandfather of the Xuantong Emperor Puyi, and great-grandfather of the pretender Jin Yuzhang. It could therefore be argued that Hengzhen, under a principle of strict primogeniture, has a stronger claim to the throne than Jin Yuzhang. However, imperial China did not consistently practice primogeniture. The emperor could in principle appoint any male relative he wanted as his heir. A hypothetical adoption of Yuyan by Puyi would in any event have "returned" the throne to the more senior lineage. Regardless of which branch has the better claim, the shortage of male heirs in Jin Yuzhang's branch could eventually see the pretendership return to Hengzhen's branch through the natural extinction of the competing branch.

During the 1911 Revolution some minorities suggested that the Manchu emperor be replaced by an ethnic Chinese. Both Duke Yansheng, a descendant of Confucius,[17][18][19][20] and the Marquis of Extended Grace, a descendant of the imperial family of the Ming dynasty, were proposed and rejected.[21][22]

See also

References
  1. Terrill, Ross, The New Chinese Empire: And What It Means For The United States, Basic Books, Mar 5, 2009, p. 78-79.
  2. The Manchoukuo Year Book 1941, "Text of the Law Governing Succession to the Imperial Throne", March 1, 1937, p. 905, Tōa Keizai Chōsakyoku (Japan). "In the absence of sons or descendants, the brothers of the reigning emperor, borne of the same mother, and their male-line descendants succeed according to age." (Article 5)
  3. Schmetzer, Uli, "Emperor-in-waiting recalls bygone age", Chicago Tribune, Oct. 25, 1992.
    "Pu Jie, 87, Dies, Ending Dynasty Of the Manchus", New York Times, March 2, 1994.
  4. "The Imperial Throne of Manchoukuo shall be succeeded to by male descendants in the male line of His Majesty the Emperor for ages to come." (Article 1, "Text of the Law Governing Succession to the Imperial Throne", The Manchoukuo Year Book 1941, p. 905.)
  5. Spencer, Richard, "The Chinese man who would be emperor", The Telegraph, 30 Nov 2008.
    McDonald, Hamish, "Heir to China's throne celebrates a modest life," The Age, November 27, 2004
  6. https://baike.baidu.com/item/爱新觉罗·毓喦/1132631?fr=aladdin
  7. https://baike.baidu.com/item/爱新觉罗·毓喦/1132631?fr=aladdin
  8. https://baike.baidu.com/item/爱新觉罗·毓喦/1132631?fr=aladdin
  9. https://baike.baidu.com/item/爱新觉罗·毓喦/1132631?fr=aladdin
  10. https://baike.baidu.com/item/爱新觉罗·毓喦/1132631?fr=aladdin
  11. "Life of Last Chinese Emperor's Nephew", People Daily, Dec. 11, 2000.
    金毓峑, Baidu.
  12. 金毓岚, Baidu.
  13. Scotland, Tony, and Patrick Leigh Fermor, The Empty Throne: Quest for an Imperial Heir in the People's Republic of China, (1993).
  14. Scotland, p. 180.
  15. Henry Pu Yi, Paul Kramer, The Last Manchu: The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China, p. 244.
  16. Scotland, p. 177.
  17. Eiko Woodhouse (2 August 2004). The Chinese Hsinhai Revolution: G. E. Morrison and Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1897-1920. Routledge. pp. 113–. ISBN 978-1-134-35242-5.
  18. Jonathan D. Spence (28 October 1982). The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 84–. ISBN 978-1-101-17372-5.
  19. Shêng Hu; Danian Liu (1983). The 1911 Revolution: A Retrospective After 70 Years. New World Press. p. 55.
  20. The National Review, China. H. Vetch. 1967. p. 67.
  21. Percy Horace Braund Kent (1912). The Passing of the Manchus. E. Arnold. pp. 382–.
  22. M.A. Aldrich (1 March 2008). The Search for a Vanishing Beijing: A Guide to China's Capital Through the Ages. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 176–. ISBN 978-962-209-777-3.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.