Puyi, a member of the ruling Aisin-Gioro clan, was born in 1906 as the eldest son of the Second Prince Chun of the Qing Dynasty of China. His father was the half-brother of the Guangxu Emperor, and his grandfather the First Prince of Chun was the son of Daoguang Emperor and half-brother of Xianfeng Emperor. His mother was the daughter of General Ronglu of the Guwalgiya clan. Ethnically, he was Manchu, a minority in China that establish the final imperial dynasty of China in 1644. In Dec 1908, only nearly three years old, he was chosen by Empress Dowager Cixi as Xuantong Emperor after his uncle Guangxu Emperor passed away on 14 Nov. Due to his young age, his father Second Prince Chun served as his regent until 6 Dec 1911, and then his mother Empress Dowager Longyu served as his regent until 12 Feb 1912. He was raised by eunuchs who obeyed his every order without any question. The emperor later recalled that
No account of my childhood would be complete without mentioning the eunuchs. They waited on me when I ate, dressed and slept; they accompanied me on my walks and to my lessons; they told me stories; and had rewards and beatings from me, but they never left my presence.
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