Wenxiu

Wenxiu (20 December 1909 – 17 September 1953), also known as Consort Shu (淑妃) and Ailian (愛蓮), was a consort of Puyi, the last Emperor of China and the final ruler of the Qing dynasty. She was born into the Mongol Erdet (額爾德特) clan, which was affiliated with the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners system.

Her early life began in 1909, when she was born on 20 December. Her courtesy name was Huixin, and she chose the pseudonym Ailian for herself. She was the daughter of Duangong (1852–1908) and Lady Jiang, and had a sister named Wenshan. During her childhood, Wenxiu attended school and was given the name Fu Yufang.

In 1921, Wenxiu was considered as a potential empress consort by the Qing court. Instead of a traditional parade, photographs of candidates were taken and presented to Puyi, who was encouraged to select his empress from among them. Puyi later stated that he had chosen Wenxiu over Wanrong. However, her selection was opposed by court factions, notably because of internal disputes among Puyi’s predecessors’ widows. Imperial Noble Consort Duankang and Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi contended over the primary spouse role; Lady Tatara favored Wanrong, while Jingyi supported Wenxiu. Despite Puyi’s preference for Wenxiu, court factions persuaded him to marry Wanrong as the empress, and Wenxiu was designated as a consort.

In the early 1920s, Wenxiu entered the Forbidden City as a consort of Puyi. She recalled her time there as lonely; her residence, Changchun Palace, often experienced power outages, and she lived separately from Puyi and Wanrong. Wanrong, who was dissatisfied with Wenxiu’s status, expressed criticisms toward her in letters. Wenxiu also experienced emotional hardship, feeling isolated and reflecting on her circumstances.

In 1924, Wenxiu, along with Puyi and Wanrong, moved from the Forbidden City to Tianjin, residing initially in the Zhang Garden within the Japanese Concession, and later in the Jing Garden. Puyi observed that during this period, both Wenxiu and Wanrong were preoccupied with material possessions and luxury. Wenxiu described her living situation in Tianjin, noting that despite living in the same building as Wanrong and Puyi, the relationship among them was distant. Wanrong’s diary records an incident in August 1931 where Wenxiu was seen smoking opium, and the record indicates that Wenxiu contemplated suicide, which strained her relations with the others. Her behavior, including instances of self-harm and conflicts with household staff, reflected her psychological distress.

Wenxiu secretly planned her divorce from Puyi in 1931, with the assistance of her sister. She left Tianjin by legal means, filing for divorce during an outing with her sister, and was granted a divorce shortly before Puyi and Wanrong moved to Manchukuo. Puyi later expressed that Wenxiu demonstrated courage during this process, though her decision was met with disapproval from some relatives. After her divorce, she was stripped of her imperial titles by Puyi, who later suggested she worked as a school teacher for some time.

In 1947, Wenxiu married Major Liu Zhendong in Beiping (present-day Beijing). Liu was involved in a car rental business that eventually went bankrupt. Following the surrender of Beiping in 1948 and the subsequent Communist takeover, they lived in poverty. Liu later confessed his past to the government, found employment in a cleaning services company, and the couple resided in a small house.

Wenxiu died on 17 September 1953 at her home, with her husband Liu Zhendong present. She was buried outside the Andingmen area with the assistance of her husband's colleagues. In 2004, descendants of the Qing imperial family posthumously granted titles to Puyi and his spouses; however, Wenxiu was not awarded a posthumous title, as she was considered to have become a commoner after her divorce.