In 1931, Japanese overran the Northeast of China and forcibly colonized three provinces in that area. In order to bring the region under their control they created the Manchu State (1931-1945) and set up Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, as its nominal head of state. Pu Yi had been the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) prior to China becoming a republic. However, he was merely a puppet ruler answerable to the Japanese invaders. An imperial palace was established in Changchun from where Pu Yi held court under the direction of his Japanese masters, but he was not then a Chinese Emperor in the true sense. Finally, in 1945, the Second World War was brought to an end and the Japanese surrendered to China. At the same time, the Manchu State ceased to exist and Pu Yi returned to the status of an ordinary citizen.

Now Pu Yi has long been dead and the past is past and although the Imperial Palace suffered a certain amount of damage in 1945, most of the buildings and facilities are still safe and sound. In 1962, the Museum of Imperial Palace of Manchu State was established on the old site, located on the Guangfu Road of Changchun City, Jilin Province. Now the protected part is 137,000 square meters (33.85 acres), and the exhibition area covers 47,000 square meters (11.61 acres).

The exhibits in the museum have been set up in three sections: a display relating to the colonial state; a subject exhibition and finally, a display illustrating the daily lives of the Emperor and his concubines. Amongst the collection of important relics, there is a carpet from Jingren Palace in the Chinese Forbidden City, documents signed by Pu Yi and so on. The entire palace is surrounded by high walls, and there are about ten buildings in it. The main part of the palace is divided into two sections - the outer palace and the inner palace. This was where the emperor managed the puppet state and held ceremonies and includes Qinmin Mansion, Huaiyuan Mansion and Jiale Palace. Besides, there are other places of amusement in the outer palace, such as the garden, artificial hills, swimming pool and the horse race course. The inner palace was occupied by the Emperor and his concubines. For instance, the Emperor Pu Yi and the Empress Wan Rong once resided in Jixi mansion. The museum is also a research center dealing with the history of the Japanese invasion of China and the Manchu State. In a sense, this museum provides excellent patriotic education.

In a word, this museum enables the visitor to gain a clear understanding of the Manchu State and for anyone who is interested in Chinese history a visit here is extremely worthwhile.

Tips:
1. Tickets for the museum can be booked up to five months in advance.
2. The museum provides audio guides which are of particular benefit to Westerners. The rental charge is CNY 10. A returnable deposit of CNY100 is required.