- Li Shuxian
Li Shuxian aka Li Shu-Hsien (李淑賢;
pinyin : Lĭ Shúxían) (1926/27 –June 9 ,1997 ) was the fifth and last wife ofPuyi , the last emperor of theQing Dynasty inChina .She was a
Han Chinese and a former hospital worker. Puyi had been pardoned, after 15 years in prison, in 1959. They met in 1962 through a friend's introduction, and were married that year. PremierZhou Enlai greeted their marriage. They had no children. She accompanied Puyi to his last days.After her husband's death, Li retired from public view. Since she was not a regular hospital employee, her life became difficult. Premier Zhou Enlai asked a relevant governmental office to give her special financial relieves.
Later, with royalty established in China from the beginning of eighties of the last century, she became the legal owner of royalty of Puyi’s autobiography. She herself published some memoirs about Puyi’s final years (she narrated and a writer wrote). She became quite rich.
Approved by the government, she moved Puyi’s ashes closer to his ancestors in the
Western Qing Tombs (清西陵) from theBabaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery . She died oflung cancer at the age of 72. In her will, she requested to have herself, Puyi, and Puyi’s 2nd concubineTan Yuling (谭玉龄) to be buried together in the cemetery. However, her will has never been realized.External links
* [http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55/045.html Pu Yi's Widow Reveals Last Emperor's Soft Side]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
