Wan Rong
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Empress Wan Rong (婉容皇后) (1906–1946) was the last Empress of the Qing Dynasty in China, and Empress of Manchukuo (also known as the Manchurian Empire). She was given the posthumous title of Empress Xiaokemin (孝恪愍皇后) in 2004 by members of the Qing Imperial House.
She was the daughter of the Minister of Domestic Affairs Rong-Yuan of the Qing]Government (内务大臣荣源). At the age of 17, she married Puyi, who resided in the Forbidden City as a non-sovereign monarch. Puyi's health is debated to this day, with some believing he was infertile. Others claim that he was homosexual. Records of the Qing court show that the Emperor and Empress were not sexually intimate.
After the Emperor was forced to abdicate in 1924, the couple moved from Beijing to the City of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing. There, they lived in the former residence of General Zhang (张园). With a hope of recovering the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor and Empress moved to Changchun, Jilin to become rulers of the Manchurian Empire in March, 1932. Realizing her husband had no real political power, the Empress's addiction to opium started to become serious. While living in the Manchurian palace, her opium addiction and lack of freedom adversely affected her mental health.
Puyi thereupon ordered her to be sent to the "Cold Palace" (冷宫), a palace for the isolation of emperors' disfavored consorts. In reality, she continued to reside in her previously assigned apartments throughout her stay in Changchun. The term "Cold Palace" was used merely to illustrate that the Emperor no longer visited or spent any time with her. The Empress's health declined dramatically and she was barely able to stand up. When the Japanese were defeated in 1945, Puyi left China, abandoning Wan Rong and some other royal family members. The Empress died alone in the Prison of Yanji in Jilin Province (吉林省延吉监狱) in June 1946 after being captured by the Red Army. Puyi did not receive the news for another three years.
Wan Rong started using opium when she was a teenager. According to Puyi's memorial, it was fashionable for educated girls to smoke cigarettes at that time, and a small amount of opium was often added by the Chinese public as an analgesic. In Tianjin, Wan Rong attempted unsuccessfully to quit opium. She did not become addicted to the drug until her time in the Manchurian Empire.
Some allege that Wan Rong had affairs with two men during the Manchukuo period and gave birth to a daughter. Many TV shows and novels have promoted this idea. However, those close to Wan Rong argue that this would have been impossible as she was kept under close watch, which would have made it difficult to conduct affairs and give birth secretly.
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