1908, Emperor Guangxu died, and Cixi ordered Puyi to be sent to the palace to be raised and made Puyi emperor. From then on, Puyi left her mother and didn't meet again until more than ten years later. Only her adoptive mother Wang Jiao followed him into the palace.
Puyi was only three years old when he ascended the throne. He is basically a baby who has just learned to walk and talk. Facing the minister of civil and military affairs who slowly rose with the yellow cloth, Puyi didn't know what all this meant, but was stunned by the baby's eyes. He walked quickly down the steps and was attracted by the fruit carried by the minister. At that moment, this Guo was what Puyi was most interested in. For a child, the companionship of parents is undoubtedly more important than the material conditions. Due to the lack of discipline and companionship, Puyi formed a self-centered and paranoid character from an early age.
Besides her mother, Wang Jiao, the foster mother, is the second important person in Puyi's life. Puyi was very young at that time, and she naturally felt scared when she slept every night. At this time, Wang will accompany him, tell him stories and let Puyi fall asleep. Therefore, Puyi has developed the habit of needing people to sleep since childhood. When he grew up, the concubines of the first emperor were very dissatisfied with Puyi's habits and ordered the king to be driven out of the palace. So Puyi said sadly, "She is not only a foster mother, but also my butterfly."
Only in Wang Jiao's body can Puyi get a trace of incomplete maternal love. From the moment Wang left the palace, the only relative who accompanied Puyi also left. Since then, Puyi may never have tasted the care of her family in the palace. He changed from a lonely child to a lonely teenager. In addition to the lack of affection, Puyi's loneliness is also reflected in his emotional career. He married two wives, but neither of them accompanied him to the end.
1922, Puyi married his first wife Wanrong. At that time, Wanrong, like Puyi, was educated and open-minded, and supported Puyi to cut off her braids, further moving towards the civilized era. At that time, Puyi found a woman who met her own ideas and realized the sweetness of love. During the Anti-Japanese War, Puyi was bent on restoring with the help of foreign forces, and her relationship with Wanrong became increasingly alienated. Wanrong was sad and lonely, got into bad habits, and finally died alone.
His second wife, Wen Xiu, is different from Wanrong. Although she received a new education, she was still a very closed woman in the old society. After the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi enjoyed a luxurious life as before. However, Wenxiu gradually accepted new ideas and chose to divorce Puyi for her freedom and happiness.
Since then, Puyi has never married or had children. The so-called family happiness is just being with your lover and children. This is the simplest happiness, which Puyi has never experienced in her life.
Teacher Johnston is Puyi's only friend in his life. In the eyes of the world, he was a humiliating emperor who was forced to abdicate. Because of this special status, as long as he makes friends with foreigners, he will immediately become an annoying "Han Jian". In the eyes of foreigners, he is just a pawn. Is Puyi willing to be a puppet?
In the film, he made up his mind to resist because the mausoleum of Empress Dowager Cixi was destroyed. Although there is no family to accompany her, Puyi still has a strong sense of home. Although the Qing Dynasty ended, the family of Aisinggioro still exists. Puyi was unwilling to be pushed around, but she misplaced her inner ambition. In fact, his position does not allow him to have any ambitions. The best way for Puyi to integrate into society is to be an ordinary person and lead a dull life. Unfortunately, he didn't know this when he was arrogant.
Later, Puyi became a victim and received an education. He admitted all the charges, rarely talked to people, and only dealt with flowers and plants. After being released, Puyi was transformed into an ordinary person. Like everyone else, he needs to buy a ticket to enter the Forbidden City.
What will Puyi think when he walks slowly through the steps and halls where he used to laugh and play, and through the place he once called "home"? We don't know if we will remember the tenderness when we sat in the imperial garden with Wang, or the elegant and happy time with our wife, or the humiliation on the day when Yuan Mou drove the team into the Forbidden City. I only feel that the old figure looks extremely lonely in the sunset.