After the Qing Dynasty abdicated, how much money did the Republic of China give the Qing Dynasty royal family every year?

On February 12, 1912, Aisin Gioro Puyi abdicated, ending China's feudal monarchy that lasted for more than 2,000 years.

After Puyi abdicated, he still enjoyed the preferential regulations granted by the Republic of China government to clear the house. The emperor's title was not abolished and he lived in the Forbidden City. The Republic of China was treated as a foreign monarch and guaranteed to pay 4 million yuan to the small court every year.

The government of the Republic of China only gave Puyi 4 million taels a year. It was not enough for him, so why should he focus on charity? Puyi abdicated, but he was also the emperor in the palace, and his life stage was the same as before.

Even the "preferential treatment fee" of 4 million yuan cannot cover the huge expenses.

Regarding the annual expenditures of Puyi's small court, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs data from the 10th year of the Republic of China, it is not the level of food and clothing, nor the expenditures of various parts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The cost of "benefit" alone has reached 900,000 taels.

On the one hand, not spending income, on the other hand, not living is more absurd and wasteful.

Puyi's follower Zhou Jinkui said: "Puyi likes to raise dogs. He has raised more than 100 dogs and feeds them pork liver, rice, etc. every day. The necessary money alone cannot be calculated."

After that, Puyi saw photos of foreign dogs from foreign pictorials and asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to purchase them from overseas. Dog food must also be imported from abroad.

If your dog is sick, it will cost more to call a veterinarian than to treat the disease.

According to newspaper reports at the time, Puyi was very depressed because he lived in a deep palace. He threw silver coins in the Yangxin Palace for days, but the eunuchs took them away.

Sometimes he is very interested and invests several thousand silver dollars at a time.

Puyi lived this extravagant life for ten years.

In the 11th year of the Republic of China, Puyi suddenly fell in love with charity.

He is very passionate about charitable giving.

At first, Puyi saw in the newspaper that the flag bearer of "SOS" was asking for help, so he sent someone to donate 5 yuan and 10 yuan.

Since then, the scope of donations has gradually expanded.

Once, Puyi donated 1,000 yuan to the charity organization "Wotou Hui", attached a handwritten letter, and signed Xuantong.

When the "Wo Tou Hui" held a voluntary performance, I saw a large yellow note hanging upstairs, and someone wrote "Emperor Xuantong donated 1,000 yuan."

At that time, Beijing news almost every day contained news about "Emperor Xuantong's charity and hospitality". His charity activities were roughly divided into two types.

One is to send money to the newspaper based on the slum information published in the newspaper and ask them to send it on their behalf, and the other is to send the people directly to the poor's homes.

In any case, there will definitely be reports praising Puyi in the newspapers within a day or two.

And Puyi did not shy away from it, willingly letting himself promote all newspapers.

Later, Puyi's donations crossed the border.

In September 1923, a major earthquake occurred in Yokohama, causing heavy losses and shocking the world.

In order to let the world know his kindness, Puyi decided to make a fortune.

Since it was difficult to send cash at the time, Puyi sent ancient porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, pearl bracelets, etc. to the Japanese embassy to express his feelings of "rescuing his neighbors."

The Republic of China government only gave Puyi 4 million people a year. It was not enough for itself, so why should it focus on charity? Later, the value of the antiquities sent by Puyi was calculated to be equivalent to about 200,000 silver dollars, which far exceeded the amount donated by the Beiyang government.

Chinese and foreign newspapers at the time called Puyi a "great philanthropist."

This is the largest relief fund paid by Puyi. Japanese Minister Yoshizawa accompanied the Japanese Congress delegation to express his gratitude.

Why was Puyi suddenly obsessed with charity?

The 12 years of Puyi's small court were not only 12 years of defending the old system, but also 12 years of pursuing political development.

In order to restore the great cause, Puyi's small court did not neglect to win the hearts and minds of the people, but instead sought the support of foreigners.

At this time, he began to learn to use wealth for his own ideals, so he indulged in charitable donations and social assistance. Puyi's motive was clear. In order to gain political capital, he knew the value of public opinion, so he spent huge sums on charity.