In the 19th century, a large number of Westerners went to China to do business and pan for gold, and photographic technology was also introduced to China. Empress Dowager Cixi, the de facto ruler of the late Qing dynasty, of course, became one of the first to leave photographs. Among the old photos of the Qing Palace compiled by the Palace Museum, this photo on the picture is the earliest surviving photo of Cixi. According to experts from the Palace Museum, this photo was taken by the US diplomatic envoy in Beijing on cixi's 40th birthday and then returned to Cixi as a gift. It can be seen that the Cixi in this photo is much younger than the image in the photo of Cixi in the early 20th century, and the face is very full and there are almost no wrinkles.
The figure on the picture is the eldest daughter of Prince Gong Yi, who was specially named Princess Gulun in the eleventh year of Xianfeng, and was the last princess recorded in the "Qing History Manuscript". During the Guangxu period, Princess Rongshou was crowned Princess Rongshou Gulun and "rewarded with food and doubles", and the palace people called her "Grand Princess". Princess Rongshou has a calm and quiet personality, does not smile, is moody and angry, handles things fairly, and has excellent popularity in the harem intertwined with contradictions. During the Republic of China period, Princess Rongshou lived in simplicity, but when she appeared in some social occasions, she still maintained the majesty of the royal family. In 1924, Princess Rongshou died at the age of 71.
Almost every emperor has a huge harem. In the late Qing Dynasty, the harem of the Forbidden City was no longer so large, but the draft work to enrich the harem was still going on as usual. The picture shows a real photo of the late Qing Dynasty draft, the children in the photo are all women waiting to be drafted, they are not as gorgeous as in the film and television drama, and some of them still look like children.
In 1912, Puyi announced his abdication, and the Qing Dynasty withdrew from the stage of history. According to the agreement reached between Empress Longyu and the Provisional Government of the Republic of China, the Qing royal family still lived in the Forbidden City and retained some of its treatment. In 1922, Puyi reached marriageable age, and the 16-year-old WanRong became the last empress. Wan Rong, a native of Zhengbaiqi, was born in 1906 in the Rongyuan Province, minister of internal affairs. The picture shows a photo of Wanrong when she was 14 years old, when she was not yet married, and she was a big miss. WanRong in the photo is dressed in Manchu costumes, and her green face is dignified and beautiful.
In November 1924, Feng Yuxiang suddenly ordered Puyi and others to move out of the Forbidden City within two hours. Under the expulsion of the military and police, hundreds of eunuchs and palace women in the ouchi palaces packed up their own affairs and left the palace. The picture shows the scene of the last 3 palace women in the Forbidden City leaving the palace, they have just stepped over the palace gate, and the cameraman who has been waiting on the side has pressed the shutter to record this historic scene.
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