In the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, the country was in turmoil. The ancient and decadent Qing Empire came crashing down, and the lives of Puyi (Huang Zihua), the last emperor of the Qing dynasty, and all his subjects and officials were turned upside down. In these turbulent times, the emperor married two women of sharply different temperaments, Wanrong (Jiang Wenli) and Wenxiu (Qin Hailu), as his empress and concubine. When the Zhili-Fengtian War broke out, he and his wives left the imperial palace where his ancestors had lived. Wanrong, outgoing and Westernized, yearned for a free life; Puyi harbored dreams of restoration and did not hesitate to collaborate with the Japanese; Wenxiu felt deeply neglected and longed for change. Puyi became the first emperor to be “forced” to divorce by law. Under Japanese manipulation, he established the puppet state of Manchukuo. In his life he and Wanrong hurt each other, enduring emotional rupture and torment. He was a special citizen shaped by the troubled times, and was destined to embark on a bitter journey full of blood and tears….
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