The Empty Throne: The Quest for an Imperial Heir in the People's Republic of China

by Tony Scotland

Book Overview

The last Emperor of China died in 1967. Despite an Empress, three successive concubines and a communist wife, he left no children. But no Manchu Emperor, even a "reformed" one, ever dies without... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670849804
• ISBN13: 9780670849802
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 186 Pages

Customer Reviews

Truly enjoyable

As well as the author once did, I have often wondered about "who" was next in line after the Hsuan Tung Emperor (Aisin Gioro Pu-yi) and what happened to "Little Jui", his chosen heir, and Mr. Scotland's book offered an answer to these and many other questions. Besides, the book is very enjoyable to read, and gives the reader a most interesting view of many sides of today's China -as well as a feeling of nostalgia for gone days. The author writes in a most pleasant way, with a nice sense of humor and a most honest approach to many subjects. Apart from the main quest for the Manchu heir, Mr. Scotland's pages about his contacts with Chinese authorities and people, and his wanderings in Beijing and Manchuria are wonderful to read. The book also offers new sides of the Hsuan Tung's emperor life and family, as well as an interesting panorama of the last days of the Qing dynasty -even if some facts should be reviewed (for instance, Sterling Seagrave's "Dragonlady" has shown many dark stories about Dowager Empress Ci Xi were mere fabrications). I highly reccomend the book.