Pu Yi's palace proving popular

By Zhu Haifeng

The Tongde building of the museum in Changchun.

While the Palace Museum in Beijing is often a frequent choice for tourists to the capital, the Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo puppet regime (1932-45) in Changchun, Jilin Province, is also a must-see place to visit to uncover the history where the last Chinese emperor, Aisin-gioro Pu Yi, was installed as the ruler of the Manchukuo.

As the official residence of Pu Yi, the palace was originally constructed as a miniature version of the Forbidden City. It covers an area of 43,000 square meters with an inner and outer court and was used as a royal residence and administrative center.

The outer court includes the Qinmin and Huaiyuan buildings and the Jiale hall. The inner court includes the Jixi building and Tongde hall. It also boasts a range of entertainment options including tennis courts, a small golf course, a horse track and swimming pool. There is an air-raid shelter and nine two-storey houses that were once used by the Manchukuo guard.

In contrast to many of China's palaces and museums, the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo is a legacy not of a splendid past but as a sign of the then colonized culture.

"The Palace Museum in Beijing stands for the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). On the contrary, the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo is not a continuation of the Qing Dynasty, but an end," vice director of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo, Zhang Wei, told the Global Times.

"It is a sign of the colonized history especially in northern China by the Japanese invaders," he added.

Inside Qinmin hall.

As a resident of the palace from 1932-1945, Pu Yi was forced to sign laws prepared by Japan to betray China's national sovereignty, Zhang explained. At the end of World War II he was captured and imprisoned for five years in the former Soviet Union and 10 years in China.

In 1959, Pu Yi was "special pardoned" and he settled in Beijing with special permission from Chairman Mao Zedong. He worked as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until he died in 1967, as the last emperor in Chinese history.

The Imperial Palace of Manchukuo is regarded as an important record of the 14 years of Japanese puppet rule in northeastern China and as a historical reminder of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Refurbished in 1962 and opening as a public museum in 1984, the palace has received 6 million visitors in total. Last year 620,000 visitors came to the musuem. Zhang added that in terms of overseas visitors, the majority are from Japan, South Korea and Western Europe.

"I have been to the royal palaces in both Beijing and Shenyang, but I found the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo in Changchun more unusual, because it is a symbol of national humiliation and serves as a mirror for people to learn," an elderly visitor told the Global Times.

While holding a significant place in Chinese history, the museum often hosts seasonal events to boost tourism numbers and add diversity to the attraction.

During Mid-Autumn Festival this year the museum presented a special evening of food, music and artistic performance as well as a night tour. Over 2,000 people enjoyed the fesitivites.

"There has been a growing number of visitors especially in recent years and hopefully in the future," Zhang said. "We are going to set up more centers for performances of Manchu culture to promote it to more people. Northeastern culture is unique and we hope to set up a special museum of Manchu culture to attract even more visitors and at the same time to help preserve this time in Chinese history."
 

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