Twilight in the Forbidden City

Reginald F. Johnston served as tutor and adviser to the last emperor of China. The emperor P'u-i had abdicated his throne in 1912. To ensure a peaceful transfer of authority, he retained his title and remained in the Forbidden City until 1924. This is Johnston's account when he was placed to observe the twilight years of the Ch'ing dynasty.

Biographies & Memoirs

Johnston, Reginald Fleming

Atwell, Pamela

Johnson, Reginal

Historical

Oxford Univ. Pr.

The British colonial administrator and scholar Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874-1938) travelled extensively in the Far East, developing a deep interest in Chinese culture and spirituality. His fourteen-year posting to the relatively quiet port of Weihaiwei allowed him to indulge this interest and to travel to places not usually visited by Europeans. Well acquainted with the philosophy of Confucius, Johnston had happily quoted the Confucian classics in his court judgments at Weihaiwei. In 1918, he was appointed tutor to the young Puyi (1906-67), who had been China's last emperor before his forced abdication. This 1934 publication, developed from lectures, presents an accessible interpretation of the tenets and fortunes of Confucianism, notably the impact of the New Culture Movement on the philosophy's place in Chinese society. Among other works, Johnston's Buddhist China (1913) and Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) are also reissued in this series.

Confucianism and Modern China (Lewis Fry Memorial Lectures, 1933-34)

Religion & Spirituality

Hyperion Pr

History

Asia

Scholarly Resources

British academic and diplomat Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874-1938) published Twilight in the Forbidden City in 1934. The work is a memoir of Johnston's time in Beijing between 1919 and 1924, at the court of the Qing Dynasty, where he served as tutor to Aisin-Gioro Puyi (1906-1967), last emperor of China. Johnston was one of only two foreigners who were permitted to enter the imperial palace, and so his account provides a unique Western perspective on the epochal events of the period. The work has a preface by the emperor Puyi and includes detailed descriptions of palace rituals, including Puyi's wedding ceremony; translations of key documents; Johnston's perspective on the revolution of 1911 and the 1917 restoration; his observations on Chinese society as a whole; and eye-witness accounts of the political intrigues of the palace. The memoir was dramatised in Bernardo Bertolucci's cinematic masterpiece, The Last Emperor.

Literature & Fiction

Buccaneer Books

Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874-1938) was a colonial administrator and oriental scholar. He travelled extensively in the Far East and developed a deep interest in Chinese culture and religion. His fourteen-year posting to Weihaiwei, a quiet naval base, allowed him to travel to places not usually visited by Europeans, and to begin writing. In 1906 he spent six months travelling across China to Burma, publishing this illustrated account of his arduous journey in 1908. In it he comments on the economic and political state of China, but the book's main theme is the beauty of the country and the character of its people. His understanding of the language, religion and culture make this a valuable description of Chinese society at the beginning of the twentieth century. Johnston's Lion and Dragon in Northern China (1910) and Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) are also reprinted in this series.

From Peking to Mandalay: A Journey from North China to Burma through Tibetan Ssuch'uan and Yunnan (Cambridge Library Collection - Travel and Exploration in Asia)

Cambridge University Press

The British colonial administrator and scholar Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874-1938) travelled extensively in the Far East, developing a keen intellectual interest in Chinese culture and spirituality. His fourteen-year posting to the relatively quiet port of Weihaiwei allowed him to indulge this interest and to travel to places not usually visited by Europeans. In 1918, he was appointed tutor to the young Puyi (1906-67), who had been China's last emperor before his forced abdication. Deeply interested in Mahayana Buddhism, Johnston played an important role in raising Western awareness of its philosophy and practice in China. This work, first published in 1913, provides valuable insight into the history of this branch of Buddhism as well as fascinating accounts of notable centres of Chinese monasticism. Among other works, Johnston's Confucianism and Modern China (1934) and Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) are also reissued in this series.

Buddhist China (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion)

Confucianism and Modern China: The Lewis Fry Memorial Lectures, 1933–34, Delivered at Bristol University (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion)

Buddhism

A Chinese Appeal to Christendom: Concerning Christian Missions

Shao-Yang, Lin

Literary

Kessinger Pub

Lion and Dragon in Northern China

Nabu Press

From Peking to Mandalay: A Journey from North China to Burma Through Tibetan Ssuchʻuan and Yunnan

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