Rare photos from the Qing Dynasty: Inside the Forbidden City and the beauty of the last empress that surprised everyone

Each photo contains a story, a piece that makes up the picture of a historical period.

During the late Qing Dynasty, the introduction of Western culture brought many modern technologies to China. With the advent of cameras, people were able to preserve many valuable films. Today, these photos will help us imagine the lives of the people or what happened in the Forbidden City in the late Qing Dynasty.

Queen Wanrong

Wanrong - The last empress of the Qing Dynasty.

The photo is of Empress Wanrong - the last empress of the late Qing Dynasty. It is known that she entered the palace at the age of 16 as empress. According to many records, she started out as a young lady from a noble family, possessing a youthful appearance, jet-black hair, fair skin, and a soft, gentle voice.

After Emperor Pu Yi was expelled from the Forbidden City, Wan Rong also left the palace and had an unhappy ending when she became addicted to opium and died at the age of 40 in Yanji City Prison.

Bedroom in Truong Xuan Palace

Bedroom in Changchun Palace in the early 20th century.

This is the bedroom in Changchun Palace in the early 20th century. It is believed to be the residence of Imperial Concubine Wenxiu. At that time, the palace had electric lights and a western-style iron bed. It is known that after Imperial Concubine Wenxiu made a "revolution" by divorcing Puyi because she could not stand his wrong decisions.

She later remarried to another man but also died quite young at the age of 44 without having any children.

A corner of Duong Tam Dien's resting room

This was the actual residence of the emperors during the middle and late Qing Dynasty.

This is the bedroom in the Hall of Mind Nurturing, which was built in the 16th year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and was the actual residence of the emperors during the mid and late Qing Dynasty. From the architecture to the art and culture of this place, all are of great value. The location of the Hall of Mind Nurturing is not on the central axis but on the west side of the Forbidden City.

Empress Dowager Cixi watches the snowfall with two female officials

Empress Dowager Cixi is enjoying the snowy winter.

The photo shows Empress Dowager Cixi enjoying the snowy winter weather. Standing next to her are two sisters, Duc Linh and Dung Linh. They were the daughters of Du Canh, a Qing Dynasty diplomat and the only female officials in the palace.

Since they were young, Duc Linh and Dung Linh had lived abroad, so they received advanced Western education early. After returning to China, Du Canh's two daughters were greatly loved by Empress Dowager Tu Hi.

In her later years, Duc Linh went to the United States and wrote memoirs and published books about life in the palace, while Dung Linh became a famous dancer but unfortunately had an accident that caused her to lose both her legs.

Empress Dowager Cixi on a yacht

This photo was taken on July 16, 1903.

This is a photo of Empress Dowager Cixi and her servants taken by Yu Huanling, a palace photographer. The photo was taken on July 16, 1903. Besides Empress Dowager Cixi in the photo, there are many other special figures such as Empress Longyu, the princesses and the courtiers that Cixi loved.

The biological mother of Emperor Pu Yi

Emperor Pu Yi's biological mother was a person of noble status, unparalleled beauty, and elegant temperament.

Pu Yi's biological mother was You Lan, daughter of the Grand Master Rong Lu, a relative of Empress Dowager Cixi. She was adopted by Empress Dowager Cixi as a child and later forced to marry Prince Chun Zaifeng.

She was described as a person of noble status, with unparalleled beauty, elegant temperament, and impeccable makeup. After marrying Zaifeng, Youlan gave birth to two sons and three daughters for Zaifeng, including Puyi, although their marriage was not very happy due to being forced.

A mandarin and his beautiful wife

The Minister of State and his wife in the late Qing Dynasty.

This is an old photo of a minister and his wife in the late Qing Dynasty. In the old photo, the minister is wearing a court uniform and looks very upright and dignified. Next to him is his wife, who has a delicate face and is dressed very elegantly and neatly.

Concubine Van Tu plays with her pet dog

Concubine Van Tu.

This is Consort Wenxiu, one of the concubines of Emperor Puyi during the late Qing Dynasty, playing with a puppy very attentively.

King Pu Yi as a child

Emperor Pu Yi at age 5.

This is a photo of Emperor Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, at the age of 5, 3 years after his coronation. On February 12, 1912, Pu Yi was forced to abdicate after the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen (also known as Sun Yat-sen).

The remains of Kien Phuc Palace after the fire in 1923

 Despite efforts to put out the fire, all that remained were ashes.

At around 9 pm on June 26, 1923, Jianfu Palace in the Forbidden City, Beijing, suddenly caught fire. The fire spread very quickly, spreading from Jingyi Pavilion to Yanchun Pavilion, engulfing the surrounding palaces in flames. Despite efforts to put out the fire, all that remained was ashes. It is known that many rare national treasures from the previous dynasties that were kept here were also burned, making King Puyi extremely angry.

Guards in the Forbidden City

Real life guards are not very tall and muscular.

This is an old photo taken by Liang Shitai, a palace photographer, of the guards in 1863. Unlike in historical dramas, real-life guards are not very tall and muscular. However, they still retain their inherent dignity.