The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City
Paul French
Nov 2026 · G&D Media · Narrated by Tim Morgan
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Audiobook
6 hr 43 min
Unabridged
infoThis book will become available on November 17, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this audiobook
New York Times bestselling author Paul French tells the extraordinary story of the last Emperor of China and the final two years during which he and his court occupied Peking’s secretive Forbidden City.
A monarch without a crown, a ruler without a people, an emperor without a realm.
In the early 1920s, the former-Emperor of China, Puyi and his Empress, Wanrong, were sequestered inside Peking’s ancient Forbidden City. Surrounded by scheming courtiers, fawning servants, and corrupt eunuchs, Puyi did not know from one day to the next whether he would experience restoration, expulsion, or assassination.
The Last Emperor of China delves into the final years of the Manchu Dynasty, beginning with China’s last royal wedding. Contrary to established belief, this was not a loveless marriage between an impotent Emperor and a neglected Empress. Paul French calls upon previously unpublished letters from the Emperor’s tutor and the diary of Wanrong’s English teacher, her closest companion. These sources shed an entirely new light on the final days of China’s last dynasty before the imperial court’s brutal expulsion, revealing a loving relationship and an Emperor attempting to assert control of the Forbidden City.
More than just the tale of the royal couple, The Last Emperor of China is also the story of the ancient citadel itself—the Forbidden City. It was a haven prohibited to all except the imperial family and their court. It survived looting, conflagration, and bombardment. A redoubt of the old dynasty, the Forbidden City was perhaps the greatest symbol of constancy and power in China—as it remains
A monarch without a crown, a ruler without a people, an emperor without a realm.
In the early 1920s, the former-Emperor of China, Puyi and his Empress, Wanrong, were sequestered inside Peking’s ancient Forbidden City. Surrounded by scheming courtiers, fawning servants, and corrupt eunuchs, Puyi did not know from one day to the next whether he would experience restoration, expulsion, or assassination.
The Last Emperor of China delves into the final years of the Manchu Dynasty, beginning with China’s last royal wedding. Contrary to established belief, this was not a loveless marriage between an impotent Emperor and a neglected Empress. Paul French calls upon previously unpublished letters from the Emperor’s tutor and the diary of Wanrong’s English teacher, her closest companion. These sources shed an entirely new light on the final days of China’s last dynasty before the imperial court’s brutal expulsion, revealing a loving relationship and an Emperor attempting to assert control of the Forbidden City.
More than just the tale of the royal couple, The Last Emperor of China is also the story of the ancient citadel itself—the Forbidden City. It was a haven prohibited to all except the imperial family and their court. It survived looting, conflagration, and bombardment. A redoubt of the old dynasty, the Forbidden City was perhaps the greatest symbol of constancy and power in China—as it remains
New York Times bestselling author Paul French tells the extraordinary story of the last Emperor of China and the final two years during which he and his court occupied Peking’s secretive Forbidden City.
A monarch without a crown, a ruler without a people, an emperor without a realm.
In the earl...
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About the author
Paul French lived and worked in China for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller while City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir received much praise with The Economist writing, “... in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.” His book, Wallis in China: The Roaring Twenties, Espionage, and the Making of the Duchess of Windsor, was described by the New York Times Book Review as “beautifully told through meticulous historical research.”
Paul French lived and worked in China for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller while City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir received much praise with The Economist writing, “... in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.” His book, Wallis in China: The Roaring...
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