“Twilight in the Forbidden City”, by Reginald Fleming Johnston

 

568 pages, Martino Fine, ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1684226658

Everything I know about Aisin-Gioro Puyi (that would be The Last Emperor of China) I learned from “The Last Emperor”, the 1987 film by Bernardo Bertolucci, much of the material for which was taken from Puyi’s autobiography From Emperor to Citizen, and from Twilight in the Forbidden City by Reginald Fleming Johnston (that would be Peter O’Toole from the movie), the tutor to Puyi from 1919 to 1924. As Johnston was one of only two foreigners who were permitted to enter the imperial palace, Twilight provides a unique Western perspective into the transformational events of the period – it is, therefore, subjective, to say the least.

As a proper tutor, Johnston gives a great deal of background as to the current events (current for him, that is) then engulfing China, and so his memoirs actually begin in 1898, more than 20 years before he even took up his post. As Johnston was not an historian, much of this introductory material is rather verbose as it meanders about discussing this Warlord or that Imperial Tutor, some of which can get rather…long. But Johnston was nothing if not thorough, and I must admit that I learned a great deal about late 19^th and early 20^th Century China. So there’s that.

Another insight into Chinese culture that Johnston expounds upon is the reverence students have for their teachers, a reverence that, at least in Johnston’s case, was reciprocated (when he retired to Scotland in 1937, he bought a small island in Loch Craignish, proceeded to cultivate a Chinese garden and even flew the flag of Manchuko, the new (puppet) kingdom of his one-time pupil). All of which displayed the faith that Johnston had in the Last Emperor, in his character and his judgment and even, perhaps, in the Chinese people – none of which helped him with convincing his country to help the man who was the head of state of their rival’s puppet nation.

While Johnston is often accused of being a monarchist (a hard accusation to fight against, after having read this book), his association with monarchist ideals was driven by what he encountered during his time in the Forbidden City. The gross mismanagement by the Empress Dowager Cixi saw the standing of the Dragon Throne squandered in the eyes of the Chinese people and the outside world, while compared to what followed the collapse of the monarchy, the death of millions and untold suffering could have been prevented had the monarchy been reformed and strengthened (even before the triumph of the Communists).

This is all included in Johnston’s enlightening memoir, along with other items of interest, such as a preface by the emperor Puyi (in Chinese), detailed descriptions of palace rituals (including Puyi’s wedding ceremony), translations of key documents, Johnston’s personal perspective on the revolution of 1911 and the 1917 restoration, his observations on Chinese society as a whole and eyewitness accounts of the political intrigues inside of the palace. In all, Twilight in the Forbidden City is an important book indeed, providing as it does a rare glimpse into the very secretive court life of China from a well-placed Westerner.

Furthermore, written and published at a time when the great empires of the Earth were still thriving and before the Communist takeover of the Middle Kingdom, it is one of the most engaging and enlightening accounts of perhaps the most tumultuous period of Chinese history, without the benefit of academic hindsight. Through it all, Johnston provides remarkable opinions on the issues of the day through his dry but clear writing, as should be expected from the last tutor to the Last Emperor.