Jin Youzhi


Jin Youzhi, born Aisin Gioro Puren, was a politician and historian who was the nominal head of the Aisin Gioro clan, the imperial clan of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, from 1994 until his death in 2015. He was the fourth and youngest son of Prince Chun, and a younger half-brother of Puyi, 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, as does "Aisin" in the Manchu language. His courtesy name 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 in Shichahai, Beijing. 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 the rule of primogeniture, but he repudiated his claim. The 1937 Manchukuo succession law, the latest agreed-upon succession rule of the Aisin Gioro clan, does not provide for succession by a half-brother of the previous emperor.

Family

----