Event Details

WHAT: Paul French introduces "The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City" (online)



WHEN: Sept. 16, 2026 Wednesday, 7:00 to 8:00 PM Beijing Time



MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: Few lives have embraced such upheaval and history as those of China's boy ruler Puyi and his child bride Wanrong in the 1920's. Cloistered within the Forbidden City, the imperial family was surrounded by scheming courtiers, fawning servants and corrupt eunuchs even after the Republic of China was declared in 1912. Puyi was an emperor without an empire, not knowing from one day to the next whether he would experience restoration or assassination. When the couple was finally expelled from the palace, the demise of China's centuries-old Manchu dynasty coincided with battles between feuding warlords and the Japanese military's relentless advance into Chinese territory. Bestselling historian Paul French draws upon previously unpublished memoirs, diaries and letters to paint a compelling portrait of Puyi and Wanrong, from their royal wedding to the couple's two final years in the Forbidden City, as their empire collapsed. The moderator is foreign correspondent Melinda Liu



MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Paul French was educated in London and Glasgow. He 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" prompted The Economist to write "โ€ฆ in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller." His book "Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson" received positive reviews as well. His latest, "The Last Emperor of China", a dramatic retelling of the story of China's last emperor and empress - Puyi and Wanrong - was published August 2026.



MORE ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Melinda Liu is a veteran US foreign correspondent and commentator based in Beijing.



HOW MUCH: Free for RASBJ members. RMB 50 for members of partner branches in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong. RMB 100 for non-members. Alipay may be an easier payment method than WeChat. You can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at rasbj.glueup.cn/org/rasbeijing/memberships/​



HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click, "Register" or "I will attend" on this notice and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the online event. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

Members of partner RAS Branches: Please register 72 hours before the event to allow time for membership verification. Please check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.



REFUND POLICY: Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable. However, if RASBJ cancels an event, all registrants will be refunded.

Speakers

  • Paul French (Speaker)

    Paul French

    Speaker

    Paul French was educated in London and Glasgow. He lived and worked in China for many years, and has published books; written articles and reviews; and contributed to podcasts and events including many for RASBJ. His book “Midnight in Peking” was a New York Times Bestseller while “City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir” prompted The Economist to write “… in Mr French the city has its champion storyteller.” His book “Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson” received positive reviews and his latest, “The Last Emperor of China”, a dramatic retelling of the story of China’s last emperor and empress was published August 2026.

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  • Melinda Liu (Moderator)

    Melinda Liu

    Moderator

    Melinda Liu opened Newsweek’s first Beijing bureau in 1980, and has lived and worked in mainland China for nearly three decades as a U.S. foreign correspondent. On postings in Beijing, Hong Kong and Washington D.C., Liu has reported on multiple aspects of China’s post-Mao modernization, and also has covered conflicts and military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia and Haiti. Liu won the 2006 Shorenstein Journalism Award in recognition of her reporting on Asia. In 2017 she co-directed the documentary film, “Doolittle Raiders: A China Story”. She is RASBJ VP and has been Newsweek Beijing Bureau Chief from 1998 to the present.

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