Reginald Johnston

Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston (1874 - 1938) was a Scottish academic, diplomat and pedagogue and the teacher of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, and later appointed as commissioner of British-held Weihaiwei.

Related Topics:
1874 - 1938 - Scottish - Academic - Diplomat - Pedagogue - Pu Yi - Emperor of China - British - Weihaiwei

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Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he studied at University of Edinburgh and later Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1898, he entered into colonial service and worked in Hong Kong. In 1919, he was elected tutor of thirteen-year-old Pu Yi who still lived inside the Forbidden City in Beijing. When Pu Yi was expelled from the Old Palace in 1924, Johnston returned to Britain and became a professor at the School of Oriental Studies University of London. In 1926, he was appointed as commissioner of Weihaiwei, a leased territory in Shandong Province. He ruled the colony in a manner similar to a Chinese mandarin until Weihaiwei was returned to the Republic of China in Nanjing on October 1, 1930.

Related Topics:
Edinburgh - University of Edinburgh - Magdalen College - Oxford - 1898 - Hong Kong - 1919 - Forbidden City - Beijing - 1924 - School of Oriental Studies - University of London - 1926 - Shandong Province - Mandarin - Republic of China - Nanjing - October 1 - 1930

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He retired to return to Scotland and lived on the small island of Eilean Righ in Loch Craignish, in which his ashes after cremation were scattered. He died in Edinburgh.

Related Topics:
Eilean Righ - Loch Craignish - Cremation

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Johnston's book Twilight in the Forbidden City, a bestseller in the 1930s, describes his experiences in Beijing and was used as a source for Bernardo Bertolucci's film dramatisation of Pu Yi's life The Last Emperor. He was portrayed by Peter O'Toole in the film.

Related Topics:
1930s - Bernardo Bertolucci - The Last Emperor - Peter O'Toole

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Johnston Road in Wanchai, Hong Kong, is named after him.

Related Topics:
Johnston Road - Wanchai - Hong Kong

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