Jin Youzhi

Jin Youzhi (金友之, born Aisin-Gioro Puren) was a Chinese politician, educator, and historian. He was born on September 21, 1918, in the Prince Chun Mansion located in Shichahai, Beijing, and died on April 10, 2015. Jin was the youngest son of Prince Chun (Yixuan), making him a half-brother of Puyi, the last emperor of China.

He belonged to the Aisin-Gioro clan, the imperial family of the Qing dynasty. In 1994, Jin became the head of the House of Aisin-Gioro, a position he held until his death in 2015. Although his family name was originally Aisin-Gioro, he adopted the surname "Jin," which means "gold" in Mandarin, as a personal and family name. His courtesy name was "Youzhi," and he was commonly known as Jin Youzhi. The Chinese media often referred to him as "the last emperor's younger brother" or "the last imperial younger brother."

Jin pursued an early education focused on Chinese classics and traditional arts. In 1947, with the support of his father, he established a public primary school within the Prince Chun Mansion, serving as its principal. His sister was among the teachers at this school. The school was later donated to the Chinese government, after which Jin continued his career as a teacher until his retirement in 1988. After retiring, he authored several books on the history of the Qing dynasty and Chinese literature. He also served as a delegate to the Beijing Municipal Political Consultative Conference across three terms and was a researcher specializing in Chinese history at the Beijing Research Institute.

In terms of succession, Jin was designated as the heir to the Manchu throne based on a 1937 succession law issued by Puyi during his reign as emperor of Manchukuo.

Jin Youzhi's family included two wives. His first wife belonged to the Jin clan (died 1971), with whom he had three children: his first son Yuzhang (born May 1942), his second son Jin Yuquan (born 1946), and a daughter named Yukun, who married Mr. Du and had a son. His second daughter, Yucheng, married Mr. Qiao and had a son as well. His third son, Jin Yulan, was born in December 1948.

His second wife was from the Zhang clan, with the personal name Maoying. The available information does not specify her birth and death dates or whether they had additional children.

Jin Youzhi's life was closely connected to the Qing imperial family and Chinese history, and he maintained his scholarly and cultural pursuits throughout his life.