Jin Youzhi (, 21 September 1918 – 10 April 2015), born Aisin-Gioro Puren, was a Chinese politician and historian. He was the head of the

House of Aisin-Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chi ...

, the ruling clan of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, from 1994 until his death in 2015. He was the fourth and youngest son of Prince Chun, and a younger half-brother of

Puyi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

, the last emperor of China. Instead of using his Manchu clan name "Aisin-Gioro" as his family name, Puren adopted " Jin" as his new family name. "Jin" means "gold" in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, as does "Aisin" in the

Manchu language Manchu (Manchu:, ) is a critically endangered East Asian Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchus, it was one of the official languages of the Qin ...

. His

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

was "Youzhi." He is best known as "Jin Youzhi." The Chinese media referred to him as "The last emperor's younger brother" or "the last imperial younger brother."

Life

Jin was born in the

Prince Chun Mansion The Prince Chun Mansion (), also known as the Northern Mansion (北府, ''Běifǔ''), is a large residence in the siheyuan style with lavish private garden located near the Shichahai neighborhood in central Beijing. The grounds had been part of ...

Shichahai Shichahai () is a historic scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of central Beijing. They are located directly northwest of the Forbidden City and north of the Beihai Lake. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: Qianhai () ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. After receiving an early education in Chinese classics and traditional art, he established a public primary school in the Prince Chun Mansion in 1947 with support from his father. He was the principal of the school while his sister was a teacher there. The school was later donated to the Chinese government, after which Jin continued working as a teacher until retiring in 1988. In his retirement, Jin wrote books on the history of the Qing dynasty and literature. He served three terms as a delegate to the Municipal Political Consultative Conference of Beijing, and was also a researcher in Chinese history at the Beijing Research Institute. Jin was the heir to the Manchu throne under a 1937 succession law issued by Puyi as emperor of Manchukuo.The Manchoukuo Year Book 1941, "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).
• "Among the Imperial brothers and the remoter Imperial relations, precedence shall be given, in the same degree, to the descendants of full blood over those of half blood" (Article 8).

Family

* First wife, of the Jin clan (; d. 1971), personal name Yuting () ** Yuzhang (; b. May 1942), first son ** Jin Yuquan (; b. 1946), second son ** First daughter, personal name Yukun () *** Married Mr. Du (), and had issue (one son) ** Second daughter, personal name Yucheng () *** Married Mr. Qiao (), and had issue (one son) ** Jin Yulan (; b. December 1948), third son * Second wife, of the Zhang clan (), personal name Maoying ()

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jin, Youzhi 1918 births 2015 deaths Aisin Gioro Manchu politicians People's Republic of China politicians from Beijing Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Chun (醇) Educators from Beijing People's Republic of China historians Historians from Beijing Yaohua High School alumni Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery

Life

Family

Ancestry

See also

References