Puppet Emperors Palace was the residence of the last emperor in the Qing Dynasty- Puyi when he ruled the state as a puppet of the occupying Japanese.

In 1912, at the age of 8, Puyi ascended to the imperial throne in Beijing, at the behest of the dying Dowager Cixi. Although forced to abdicate that same year by the Republican government, he retained his royal privileges, continuing to reside as a living anachronism in the Forbidden City. Outside, the new republic was coming to terms with democracy and the twentieth century, and Puyis life, circumscribed by court ritual, seems a fantasy in comparison. In 1924, he was expelled by Nationalists uneasy at what he represented, but the Japanese protected him and eventually found a use for him here in Changchun as a figure who lent a symbolic legitimacy to their rule. After the war he was re-educated by the Communists and lived the last years of his life as a gardener. His story was the subject of Bernardo Bertoluccis lavish film, The Last Emperor.

Like its former occupant, the palace is really just a shadow of Chinese imperial splendour, a poor miniature of Beijings Forbidden City. It was meant to be temporary, until his grand abode was completed at Culture Square. Photos of Puyi line the walls, captioned in Chinese only, but you can surmise the tone of the presentation by looking at the mannequins of Puyi and his wife: she reclines on a sofa smoking opium, while her husband gleefully confers with a Japanese general down the hall. Additional photo exhibits in the rear building document Japans brutal invasion and rule. Be sure to see the restored Japanese garden, one of Changchuns most tranquil spots.

The rear palace gives visitors a glimpse of the grandness that was the facade of life here: a swimming pool, a tennis court, a few gardens, courtyards and even a bomb shelter, are the accoutrements of the emperors empty life (a life that is chronicled within on diary pages that are attached to the wall). There are also exhibitions here to the atrocities that the Japanese manufactured in their inhumane reign in northeast China. This is struck home with images of the war, including those concerning the Japanese armies Unit 731 Germ Warfare Experimental Base, and various torture equipment. The captions here are in Chinese, although most of the pictures speak for themselves. Visitors are made to wear "shower caps" on their shoes to protect the original carpet.