What's the story of Tagore and the late Emperor Puyi?

Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore's "audience" with the last emperor Puyi

The dashing and passionate poet Rabindranath Tagore (pictured at left) gave impromptu lectures in Shanghai and Beijing with a desire for love, justice and peace, in the hope of bridging the traditional cultural ties between the two ancient civilizations. The reality, however, was far from his aspirations: in a still conservative China, people were impressed by his style and grace, but his words and actions were not accepted by the majority of the population; he, like some of the progressive and enlightened Chinese intellectuals, felt helpless and alone. Hostile gossip followed the poet all the time; he was said to be a reactionary figure who glorified and restored antiquity, a terrible enemy of modern Western civilization, and an opponent of scientific thought and material progress. Even some ardent youths who fervently hoped that China would overtake Japan in the race of civilizational progress were doing everything possible to reject Tagore and boycott his speeches. The poet's fellow travelers described the situation thus:

When we met the scholars in Peking, the Chinese progressives suddenly felt that they were in great agreement with Tagore's ideas. Like Dante and Giovanni in those days, both Tagore and Hu were determined to adopt the spoken language of the people as the common instrument of literary expression, in place of the classical language in the hands of a limited class of scholars. One radical Chinese scholar leapt up from the other end of the table, embraced Tagore, and said in passionate tones that he now shared with Tagore not only the pain of ****ing with him, but also the suffering created by the hands of the defenders of traditional culture.

The poet Tagore's meeting with the Sun Emperor Puyi in the imperial garden of the palace has become the best footnote of the poet as a reactionary figure of retro and glorification. But Tagore has always melted his opponents with his candor, wisdom and big heart. His impromptu speeches and orations, his meticulous attention to the Chinese mind with deep feelings of sympathy and goodwill, his very sharp opposition to the voices of war, conflict and blind worship of material progress, and his gracious friendliness were unforgettable, and he soon dispelled the criticisms of his many detractors and drew the progressive, enlightened people to his side.

Tagore and Puyi in the Imperial Garden in front of the Shrine of the Four Gods after Johnston's introduction, the Xun emperor Puyi decided to meet Tagore. Puyi invited Tagore into the palace to meet in the imperial garden of the Forbidden City's harem, accompanied by the emperor's teacher Zhuang Shidun and the surviving chief minister of internal affairs Zheng Xiaoxu. The place of meeting was chosen in the southwest of the Imperial Garden of the Yanshi Zhai - this is a concave two-storey pavilion, known as Lezhi Zhai in the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Shunzhi year before renamed Yanshi Zhai. Upstairs in the main room has a plaque inscribed by the Kangxi Emperor: flying dragon in the sky. The couplet in the left room reads: "I love the lightness of the heart, and the poetic feeling is added to the quietness of the place. The couplet in the right room reads: "Since the woods and springs are full of flavor, the history and books can still be used in an orderly manner. Downstairs is a plaque in Qianlong's imperial handwriting: Jiu Jing Cun Cheng. This was the temporary resting place of the English emperor Johnston, and the upstairs and downstairs were furnished with Western-style utensils. Tagore on the scenery here, the arrangement is very appreciated, especially on the downstairs Qianlong couplet interest, that the couplet is very beautiful: Huodao abundance of fish to see the lively, leisure books and history of the elite. Mr. Johnston detailed the process of Tagore's entry into the palace:

Ku Hongming will be proud of Chinese politeness as one of its national characteristics. Unfortunately, this courtesy was completely lost in 1924 at a reception given by a group of scholars in Peking to a famous foreigner, one of the Emperor's visitors. That famous figure was the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who came to China in April of that year at the invitation of Dr. Hu Shih, a prominent figure in Chinese culture, and Xu Zhimo, the young poet and leader of the Crescent School, who died tragically in an unfortunate incident a few years later.

Tagore's visit to China came at a time when foreign influences were at work in academia and other circles, which put his visit in jeopardy; his appeal to young China - to cherish the beautiful and noble cultural heritage of his people - was met with a by some of his scholarly listeners, and was even met with hostility. I hoped that Tagore should not leave Peking until he had had a look at China, which has always been characterized by courtesy and dignity. So I spoke to the Emperor about Tagore and asked for permission to come to the Forbidden City. I also showed the Emperor some of Tagore's poems in English and Chinese translation. The Emperor immediately acceded to my request and the meeting took place in my pavilion in the Imperial Garden.

The meeting was certainly a pleasant one for the Emperor and I think the poet was equally happy. The emperor was accompanied by Zheng Xiaoxu. I am happy that the first-rate poets of two great countries, which have had close cultural contacts in the past, have been brought together under the patronage of the emperor.

The poet Rabindranath Tagore had many dealings with the Palace and he also developed a very close relationship with the Emperor Puyi. These can be corroborated by four photographs existing in the Palace Library. The four photos are: Tagore's portrait, Tagore and Puyi, Tagore and Zheng Xiaoxu, and a group photo of twelve people.

Tagore's sketch portrait from the hands of foreign painters. The one in the palace is a reproduction. In the lower right of the portrait, there is a foreign inscription, apparently by the artist, but the handwriting is blurred. In English, the words "Beijing" and "1924" are written at the bottom. This reproduction of the sketch portrait may be Tagore and Puyi when they met in person, Puyi will stay as a souvenir, will be stored in the palace.

Tagore and Puyi photo, Tagore and Zheng Xiaoxu photo are specially kept as a souvenir during the meeting, the background of the two photos are the Imperial Garden, southwest of the Hall of Qin'an, east of the Pavilion of the Four Divine Shrines - with the Imperial Garden 11 pavilions, this is the name of the shrine, but the structure is still the pavilions, a sense of uniqueness and mystery! . Strangely enough, there are no tablets of the four gods in the pavilion, and the world has never been able to know which four gods they are. According to the scholar Wang Jinglun, this place is dedicated to the four gods of Taoism, i.e., the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu, which represent the east, west, south, and north. The incense of the Four Gods Shrine has been continuous. Tagore and Puyi stood in front of the Four Gods Shrine, facing north, Puyi stood on the right on the steps, Tagore stood on the left on the flat ground. Tagore and Zheng Xiaoxu is exactly the opposite: Zheng's left, the two stood together at the bottom of the steps.

Tagore and 12 others were apparently photographed at a location other than the palace, as can be determined at a glance from the background inside. According to the Forbidden City, Ms. Wang Lein and others, can confirm that 11 of them: the background of the photo is a courtyard in Beijing, four green stone steps, two gable columns. Front row 2 people sitting, in the center is Tagore, its right is the then Prime Minister of the Cabinet of Yan Huiqing - he is the XuanTong two years of foreign HanLin, stay in foreign countries doctor, served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs right counselor, the League of Nations representative in Geneva, the ambassador to the Soviet Union; Tagore left 2 people standing, in the center of the beauty of the poet Lin HuiYin as flowers, standing next to her! Outside the center is the last Empress Wan Rong's English master Englishman Ren Sam. Standing at random on the steps for the middle row of six people, from left to right are: the poet and translator Xu Zhimo, Indian Naga, the British scholar En Houzhi, India, the President of the Institute of Shen Mohan, the Empress Wan Rong's younger brother Run Qi, India, the President of the Institute of paintings, Nandababababu Serval. 2 people in the back row: the right is Puyi's English master Johnston, the left is a foreign lady.

From these photos, it seems that Puyi and Tagore had many exchanges.

Puyi had tried to comprehend a poem by the poet Rabindranath Tagore, which he had intently recited:

If all men leave you in fear, then you, an unfortunate man, march on alone with your heart open!

If no one holds a torch high in the vast blackness of a raging storm, then you, an unfortunate man, let the pain light the lamp in your heart, and let it be your only light.

It is said to be the extremely favorite poem of Gandhi, the victorious hero, but Puyi recited it over and over again and still did not quite understand it, and he looked at the ridged beasts on the ridge of the palace roof with a puzzled look.

Puyi was photographed in front of the Shrine of the Four Gods in the Imperial Garden in 1924 after meeting the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore

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