WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480 Imagine for a second being told that you are 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:05.200 the supreme ruler of an empire. Right, the absolute 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.459 top of the chain. Exactly. You are the emperor, 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:11.480 your word is absolute law, your status is divine, 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:14.060 and you are about to step into your magnificent 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:17.019 new royal palace. Which you'd expect to be pretty 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:19.079 incredible. Right, but then you pull up to the 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:23.000 address and you're... Grand Imperial Palace is 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.920 actually just the cramped, repurposed offices 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.420 of a local salt tax collection agency. Yeah, 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:30.800 and sitting right next to the noisy railway tracks, 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:34.020 too. It's wild. It really is a staggering historical 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.380 image. Honestly, it's the ultimate architectural 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:39.500 bait and switch. Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:42.280 we are exploring the Museum of the Imperial Palace 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.399 of Manchukuo, which is located in Shanchun, China. 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:48.259 Yes. And our mission for this deep dive is to 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:50.780 look really closely at our source material and 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:53.740 explore the incredibly bizarre intersection of 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:56.460 architecture, illusion, and power. Because it's 00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:58.600 quite a story. It is. We're going to examine 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:01.539 exactly how a physical space can tell the tragic 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:04.739 sort of twisted story of a puppet regime and 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:07.719 a captive emperor. So OK, let's unpack this. 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:10.579 Let's do it. Because to put it in modern terms, 00:01:11.069 --> 00:01:13.469 Puyi's situation is basically like being hired 00:01:13.469 --> 00:01:17.030 as the CEO of a massive multinational corporation, 00:01:17.810 --> 00:01:20.310 but your only actual authority is deciding what 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.569 kind of chairs go in the break room. And even 00:01:22.569 --> 00:01:24.250 then, I mean, someone is probably double -checking 00:01:24.250 --> 00:01:27.010 your chair orders. Right, exactly. What this 00:01:27.010 --> 00:01:29.769 source material offers is a uniquely tangible 00:01:29.769 --> 00:01:32.230 lens into the mechanics of imperial control. 00:01:32.930 --> 00:01:36.129 We get to see, basically, block. by concrete 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:39.849 block how Imperial Japanese forces used architecture 00:01:39.849 --> 00:01:42.870 and spatial geography to legitimize a completely 00:01:42.870 --> 00:01:45.150 illegitimate state. Yeah. And we'll also see 00:01:45.150 --> 00:01:47.370 how that same physical space has been reclaimed 00:01:47.370 --> 00:01:49.790 today to ensure the truth of that history isn't 00:01:49.790 --> 00:01:52.030 lost. Which is super important. So to really 00:01:52.030 --> 00:01:54.189 understand just how bizarre this salt palace 00:01:54.189 --> 00:01:56.430 was, we have to start by understanding the empty 00:01:56.430 --> 00:01:59.030 throne that sat inside it. Right. The year is 00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:02.439 1931. Japanese forces take control of Northeast 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:04.859 China. So the area making up the modern -day 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:07.939 provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:10.610 which is historically known as Manchuria. But 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:14.050 simply conquering a territory and actually holding 00:02:14.050 --> 00:02:16.990 it are two very different things, geopolitically 00:02:16.990 --> 00:02:19.469 speaking. Oh, absolutely. The Japanese military 00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:22.949 had the land, but they desperately needed a facade 00:02:22.949 --> 00:02:26.729 of local legitimacy to avoid total international 00:02:26.729 --> 00:02:30.430 condemnation. So they created an officially independent 00:02:30.430 --> 00:02:33.319 state called Manchukuo. Officially, right. Right, 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:36.500 officially. But in reality, it was a puppet state 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:39.900 entirely controlled by Japan. To sell this illusion 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:42.879 to the world, they needed a recognizable figurehead. 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:46.039 Enter Pui, the deposed last emperor of the Qing 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:48.639 dynasty. They dust him off and install him as 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:51.099 the emperor of Manchukuo. Right. But his role 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.699 was entirely symbolic, wasn't it? He had absolutely 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:56.340 zero state power. In fact, according to the sources, 00:02:56.539 --> 00:02:58.939 the only piece of actual state business he was 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:01.280 allowed to control was the construction of his 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:04.280 new palace. Yeah, it was a tightly managed concession. 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.240 And it actually sparked a massive debate behind 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:08.300 the scenes because the Japanese factions had 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:10.599 competing architectural visions for this new 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:12.259 capital. They couldn't agree on the aesthetic. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.479 Exactly. On one side, you had the Man Tetsu. 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:18.099 And this wasn't just a train company. The South 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:21.120 Manchuria Railway Company was essentially a colonial 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:24.180 mega -corporation driving Japan's economic expansion. 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:27.039 So they had a lot of pull. Huge pull. They wanted 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:31.500 a highly modern palace design, something seamlessly 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:34.879 integrated into the new modern city of Xinjing, 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:36.979 which is modern -day Chengcheng. So they wanted 00:03:36.979 --> 00:03:40.080 to project progress and industry. Right. But 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:41.960 then you have the Construction Corps Bureau, 00:03:42.699 --> 00:03:44.939 who pushed for a completely different direction. 00:03:45.129 --> 00:03:48.650 They wanted a south -facing palace modeled directly 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:51.229 after the Forbidden City in Beijing. Which is 00:03:51.229 --> 00:03:53.210 the one Pui chose, obviously, since he used to 00:03:53.210 --> 00:03:55.250 live in the actual Forbidden City. Right. He 00:03:55.250 --> 00:03:57.110 went with what he knew, and they even picked 00:03:57.110 --> 00:03:59.289 a sprawling site in the western section of the 00:03:59.289 --> 00:04:02.409 city for this grand new palace. Yeah, they designated 00:04:02.409 --> 00:04:04.710 a central area for a temporary palace in the 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:06.889 meantime, just to act as his residence while 00:04:06.889 --> 00:04:09.449 the grand vision was being built. But, and here's 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:12.210 the tragic absurdity of it all, that grand western 00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:15.449 palace. It was never finished. World War II ramps 00:04:15.449 --> 00:04:17.730 up. Materials and resources get diverted to the 00:04:17.730 --> 00:04:21.189 military. And by 1943, construction completely 00:04:21.189 --> 00:04:24.129 halts. Leaving Pui permanently stuck in that 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:27.110 temporary location. The former offices of the 00:04:27.110 --> 00:04:29.589 Salt Gabel. And just to clarify for everyone, 00:04:29.730 --> 00:04:32.750 the Gabel was a state tax monopoly on salt. Right. 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:34.720 It was a highly lucrative government office, 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:37.019 but at the end of the day, it's still just an 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:39.060 administrative tax office. It's the so -called 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:42.680 Salt Palace. Yeah. Wait, so he was basically 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:45.639 playing gaze of SimCity, but his controller was 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:47.959 completely unplugged. Pretty much. I mean, he's 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.579 a former emperor reduced to arguing over blueprints 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:53.420 for a palace he'd never get while an actual global 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:56.160 world war rages right outside his window. What's 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.519 fascinating here is how deliberate that dynamic 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:02.050 actually was. Really? Oh, yeah. Giving Pui control 00:05:02.050 --> 00:05:04.949 over the architectural blueprints wasn't a courtesy. 00:05:05.129 --> 00:05:07.649 It was a calculated psychological distraction. 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:10.129 Wow. By letting him obsess over the layout of 00:05:10.129 --> 00:05:12.230 courtyards, the pitch of the roofs, and the placement 00:05:12.230 --> 00:05:15.050 of gardens, the Japanese provided him with just 00:05:15.050 --> 00:05:17.850 enough of a mirage of autonomy to keep him compliant. 00:05:18.089 --> 00:05:20.970 So he was busy playing architect. Exactly. Which 00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:23.069 kept him out of the way while they ran the actual 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:25.829 empire. Because Pui couldn't exert power over 00:05:25.829 --> 00:05:28.569 the real world, his entire universe shrank to 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:31.740 the walls of this compound. Yeah. Since he couldn't 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:34.620 rule a real empire, he poured all of his energy 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:37.740 into ruling a miniature one. Let's look at the 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:40.199 physical layout of this temporary palace that 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:41.920 eventually took shape. That's quite the layout. 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:46.620 Over the years, from 1932 to 1945, this complex 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:50.379 grew to cover 43 ,000 square meters. Massive. 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:52.540 And he really tried to mimic the Forbidden City 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:55.300 by dividing it into an inner court so the royal 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:57.939 residence, and an outer court for administrative 00:05:57.939 --> 00:06:00.920 purposes. It was a very deliberate spatial separation 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.500 of his private life and his public ceremonial 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:06.620 deities. Right. But unlike the grand expansive 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:09.180 plazas of Beijing, which were designed to make 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:11.600 visitors feel small in the face of limitless 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:15.120 imperial power, this space was defined by containment. 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:17.540 Yeah, it was surrounded by high concrete walls. 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.529 And heavy security. The sources note there were 00:06:20.529 --> 00:06:22.910 nine two -story block houses scattered around 00:06:22.910 --> 00:06:25.389 the courtyards strictly for the Manchico Imperial 00:06:25.389 --> 00:06:28.389 Guard. It sounds less like a palace and more 00:06:28.389 --> 00:06:31.689 like a maximum security prison with nice landscaping. 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:35.079 It was absolutely a gilded cage. And the architecture 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.040 within those walls was a jarring, almost chaotic 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:40.860 mix of styles. Like a real mishmash. Yeah. You 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:42.980 had traditional Chinese structures sitting right 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:45.100 next to Japanese and European style buildings. 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:47.819 The amenities scattered across the grounds are 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:50.420 what really stood out to me. Yeah. You have traditional 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:53.800 Chinese rockeries and serene fishponds sitting 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:56.220 alongside a swimming pool, a tennis court, a 00:06:56.220 --> 00:06:59.600 small golf course, a horse track. just to snap 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:02.540 you back to the grim reality of the 1940s, an 00:07:02.540 --> 00:07:05.019 air raid shelter. Yeah, quite the combination. 00:07:05.180 --> 00:07:07.160 Hold on, he's trying to recreate the ancient, 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:10.300 sacred aura of the Forbidden City, but he installs 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:13.399 a small golf course and a tennis court. How does 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:15.680 that cultural mashup make any sense? It seems 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:18.199 contradictory, but it actually perfectly reflects 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:20.779 the deep contradictions of Manchukuo itself. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.810 How so? Well, this wasn't just a historical replica 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:26.370 Pui was building. It was an attempt to project 00:07:26.370 --> 00:07:30.149 a modern international status. The Japanese desperately 00:07:30.149 --> 00:07:32.430 wanted Manchukuo to be recognized by the League 00:07:32.430 --> 00:07:36.509 of Nations and Western foreign powers. So the 00:07:36.509 --> 00:07:38.949 architecture had to perform a dual function. 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.139 It had to cling to ancient imperial legitimacy 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:45.779 to appease the local population and Pui himself, 00:07:46.259 --> 00:07:48.120 while simultaneously trying to present itself 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:51.180 as a modern, progressive, western -facing state 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:54.180 on the world stage. So tennis court and the golf 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:57.259 course. Those were props in a diplomatic theater. 00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:00.220 That paints a really vivid picture. The entire 00:08:00.220 --> 00:08:02.660 exterior was designed for a hypothetical Western 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:04.360 audience that was never going to validate them 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:07.360 anyway. Exactly. But when you move from the grand, 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:10.620 confusing exterior of the grounds into the inner 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:13.439 court where Pooby actually lived, the theater 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.199 stops. The vibe totally changes. It does. The 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:18.339 architecture inside the inner core tells a story 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:21.720 not of luxury, but of intense claustrophobic 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.300 paranoia. The Jixi building is a prime example 00:08:24.300 --> 00:08:26.519 of this environment. This was a Russian style 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:28.480 building that housed the private living quarters. 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:31.480 It contained Pui's bedroom, his reading room, 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:34.120 a Buddhist chapel, and the separate quarters 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.299 for his empress, Wan Rong, and his concubine, 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.340 Tanya Ling. And again, to highlight the absurdity 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:43.100 of this setup. the Jixi building wasn't built 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:45.679 for royalty. No, not at all. It was originally 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:48.179 built in the early 20th century as the office 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:50.740 building for the Jilin Heilongjiang Exclusive 00:08:50.740 --> 00:08:53.720 Transportation Bureau. Imagine trying to maintain 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:56.299 divine imperial dignity while your bedroom used 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:58.659 to belong to a regional transit manager. It's 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:01.440 so weird, but the real centerpiece of the inner 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:05.039 court, and arguably the whole complex, is the 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.009 Tongde Hall. The Tom D. Hall was the largest, 00:09:08.110 --> 00:09:10.909 most impressive, and most luxuriously decorated 00:09:10.909 --> 00:09:13.509 building on the grounds. By far. This was a structure 00:09:13.509 --> 00:09:15.909 that Japanese engineers extensively remodeled 00:09:15.909 --> 00:09:19.210 between 1936 and 1938. And just to bring it full 00:09:19.210 --> 00:09:21.570 circle, this building was originally the Jilin 00:09:21.570 --> 00:09:24.049 Salt Tax Collection Office. So this is where 00:09:24.049 --> 00:09:26.429 the Salt Palace nickname was really cemented. 00:09:26.450 --> 00:09:28.190 Yeah, this was the building. It was meant to 00:09:28.190 --> 00:09:30.590 be the ultimate royal residence. the Japanese 00:09:30.590 --> 00:09:33.909 spared no expense outfitting it. But Pui completely 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:36.190 refused to use it. Never slept there. Right. 00:09:36.210 --> 00:09:38.009 He wouldn't live there because he was absolutely 00:09:38.009 --> 00:09:39.909 convinced the Japanese had bugged the entire 00:09:39.909 --> 00:09:42.370 building. Yeah. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:09:42.549 --> 00:09:45.070 Think about it like this. OK. It's like being 00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:48.149 gifted a multimillion dollar luxury smart home 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.190 by a highly controlling boss. But you refuse 00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:53.669 to step foot inside because you're absolutely 00:09:53.669 --> 00:09:55.970 certain the smart speakers are recording everything 00:09:55.970 --> 00:09:58.340 you say and reporting it back. That's a great 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:01.200 way to put it. And given the reality of his situation, 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.840 his paranoia was almost certainly justified. 00:10:03.899 --> 00:10:06.279 Oh, for sure. The Japanese forces were monitoring 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.259 his every move. But what makes the Tongde Hall 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.639 so compelling is the sheer irony of its design. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.259 For instance, if you visit the museum today, 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:17.600 you can see the Manchukuo throne in this hall. 00:10:17.950 --> 00:10:20.669 High behind that throne is the national coat 00:10:20.669 --> 00:10:23.809 of arms. The big star. Right, it features a five 00:10:23.809 --> 00:10:25.629 -pointed star with each point in a different 00:10:25.629 --> 00:10:27.909 color representing the five nationalities of 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:30.830 Manchukuo. Red for Manchu, yellow for Chinese, 00:10:31.250 --> 00:10:33.950 blue for Mongol, white for Japanese, and black 00:10:33.950 --> 00:10:36.529 for Koreans. So it's projecting this harmonious 00:10:36.529 --> 00:10:39.970 unity of five peoples under one benevolent ruler. 00:10:40.190 --> 00:10:43.289 Exactly, it's projecting harmony, unity, and 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:45.950 strength. But the emperor meant to sit on that 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:48.669 throne was too terrified of his own white -starred 00:10:48.669 --> 00:10:52.330 allies to even sleep in the same building. It 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:55.029 perfectly encapsulates the hollow propaganda 00:10:55.029 --> 00:10:58.350 of the Manchukuo state. The symbol on the wall 00:10:58.350 --> 00:11:01.379 promises unity. The reality on the ground was 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:04.399 sheer terror, surveillance, and subjugation. 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:07.759 The aesthetics of that room are so visually striking 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.659 too. In fact, Bernardo Bertolucci used the main 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:13.559 hall of the Tungde building for a famous lavish 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:16.840 dance party scene in his 1987 film, The Last 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:19.399 Emperor. Yeah, an incredible scene. Even though 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:21.259 historically the room was never actually used 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:24.360 for that purpose. It was just a beautiful empty 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:26.620 stage set. Which is incredibly fitting, really. 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:29.059 The entire palace was a stage set, a place meant 00:11:29.059 --> 00:11:31.940 to be seen rather than lived in. So if the inner 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:34.320 court was defined by what Pui was hiding from, 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:36.500 the outer court was defined by what he was pretending 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:39.080 to be. Well said. Let's move out of his private 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:41.259 paranoid bubble and into the administrative front. 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:43.789 How did the day -to -day illusion actually function? 00:11:43.990 --> 00:11:46.870 The outer court was where the daily charade of 00:11:46.870 --> 00:11:49.509 government took place. The primary structure 00:11:49.509 --> 00:11:52.129 here was the Kinmen building. Right. This was 00:11:52.129 --> 00:11:55.389 Puyi's official office. It had a large room in 00:11:55.389 --> 00:11:57.870 the southeast corner where he would perform his 00:11:57.870 --> 00:12:00.909 highly scripted duties, receiving foreign ambassadors, 00:12:01.250 --> 00:12:03.889 issuing certificates of appointment, and conferring 00:12:03.889 --> 00:12:06.889 medals onto his government officials. Basically 00:12:06.889 --> 00:12:09.590 doing the paperwork of a ghost nation. He's handing 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:11.929 out medals for a country that barely exists outside 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:14.090 those walls. Pretty much. And then you have the 00:12:14.090 --> 00:12:18.210 Wai 'un Building, built in 1934, which housed 00:12:18.210 --> 00:12:21.389 the Imperial Household Agency and the Imperial 00:12:21.389 --> 00:12:24.289 Secretariat. The Wai 'un Building also held the 00:12:24.289 --> 00:12:27.210 Fengxian Chapel, where Pui worshipped his ancestral 00:12:27.210 --> 00:12:29.590 portraits. So tying it to his past. Exactly. 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:33.250 It was a way to physically anchor his new fake 00:12:33.250 --> 00:12:36.980 empire to his very real ancient lineage. But 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:39.100 to truly understand the tension of the outer 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:41.419 court, we have to look at the peripheral buildings. 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:43.919 Like the support structures. Right, because architecture 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.059 isn't just about the grand halls, it's about 00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:48.720 the utility spaces. Take Zixiu House, for example. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.700 Right, this is fascinating detail. Zixiu House 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:54.460 was technically an informal dining hall. Yep. 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:58.039 But according to the sources, Pui actually kept 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:00.919 safes full of cash and jewels hidden in a back 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.919 apartment there. Why store your treasure in an 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.120 informal dining hall instead of a secure vault? 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:08.879 Because he was a man perpetually preparing to 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.639 run for his life. Wow. He didn't trust the Japanese, 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:14.679 he didn't trust his own guards, and he needed 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.460 liquid assets readily available in a place he 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:19.860 could easily access without drawing suspicion. 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.480 That makes total sense. Keeping cash in the dining 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:24.600 hall wasn't an administrative choice, it was 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.659 a survival mechanism. It was a physical manifestation 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:30.309 of his underlying terror. The building was later 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:32.070 turned into a school for the children of palace 00:13:32.070 --> 00:13:34.789 employees, which is quite a pivot. It really 00:13:34.789 --> 00:13:37.009 is. And then you have its mirror image, Changchun 00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:39.490 House, which was briefly used by Puyi's father, 00:13:39.690 --> 00:13:42.850 Prince Chun, when he visited in 1937, and later 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:45.809 by his concubine, Tan Yuling. But the building 00:13:45.809 --> 00:13:47.769 in the outer court that really caught my eye 00:13:47.769 --> 00:13:49.950 in the source material is the Cixuan. Oh, the 00:13:49.950 --> 00:13:52.570 Cixuan is the key to understanding the entire 00:13:52.570 --> 00:13:55.710 complex. Right. Dating back to the early 20th 00:13:55.710 --> 00:13:58.250 century, it was originally a transportation head's 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:01.399 mansion. But during the palace years, it housed 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:03.879 the offices of the executive department. Yes. 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:07.419 More specifically, it housed the Japanese vice 00:14:07.419 --> 00:14:11.320 minister and related officials. Isn't it incredibly 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.940 telling that the Japanese vice minister set up 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:16.679 his office right there on the inner palace grounds? 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.840 Yeah, it's very bold. It sounds less like he 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:22.840 was advising the emperor and more like an intense 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:26.059 24 -7 babysitting operation. Oh, babysitting 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:28.840 is putting it mildly. If we connect this to the 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:31.519 bigger picture, the spatial layout of the Sihuan 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.919 reveals the true hierarchy of power in Manchukuo. 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:38.480 How so? In a genuine empire, foreign advisors 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:41.120 or ministers are kept at an arm's length, usually 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:43.720 in a separate diplomatic quarter. You don't place 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.179 your handler in an adjacent compound. You place 00:14:46.179 --> 00:14:48.840 them right inside the gates. Right. Every decree 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.419 Pui issued from the Kinmen building was overseen, 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.179 approved, and likely drafted by the true authority 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:56.899 residing in this Iwan. Architecture here isn't 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:59.399 just shelter. It's a physical manifestation of 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:01.840 the chain of command. So Pui was in the center. 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:05.070 But he was completely surrounded. Entirely. And 00:15:05.070 --> 00:15:07.409 the legacy of these buildings today is incredibly 00:15:07.409 --> 00:15:10.289 powerful because that facade has been entirely 00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:12.909 stripped away. Completely. Today, the Kinnon 00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:15.289 building, that same space where Pooey handed 00:15:15.289 --> 00:15:18.009 out those fake medals to fake officials, houses 00:15:18.009 --> 00:15:21.169 wax figures of the former emperor. But much more 00:15:21.169 --> 00:15:23.730 importantly, it houses exhibitions highlighting 00:15:23.730 --> 00:15:27.029 the devastating atrocities of World War II, specifically 00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:30.980 incidents related to the infamous Unit 731. That 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:34.340 is a profound thematic shift for physical space. 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:38.000 It really is. Unit 731 was a covert biological 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.299 and chemical warfare research and development 00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:42.899 unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that engaged 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:45.519 in lethal human experimentation. Awful stuff. 00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:47.720 By placing an exhibition about those very real, 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:50.279 horrific war crimes inside the Kinman building, 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:53.500 the museum makes a powerful statement. The building 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:56.120 that was constructed to be a stage for a manufactured, 00:15:56.620 --> 00:16:00.020 sanitized reality is now serving as a grim rep... 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:02.720 for the brutal truths of the war. It's a stark 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.879 contrast. It forces the visitor to confront the... 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:08.500 The Japanese military apparatus crumbled, and 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:10.720 with it, the handlers who had controlled Puyi's 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.659 every move abandoned the charade. Japan surrendered 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.799 unconditionally, Manchukuo ceased to exist as 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.700 a political entity, and Puyi was forced to flee 00:16:20.700 --> 00:16:23.480 the palace he had spent years designing. He tried 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:26.000 to reach Japan by plane, but was captured by 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:28.940 the Soviet forces. Meanwhile, the grand illusion 00:16:28.940 --> 00:16:31.879 he left behind—the palace, the meticulously planned 00:16:31.879 --> 00:16:34.600 courtyards, the Russian -style transit offices 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.899 turned royal bedrooms—was looted and left to 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:40.600 history. It's a stark reminder that concrete 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:43.519 and brick can project power, but they cannot 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:45.799 generate it. That's a great point. When the military 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.440 force backing the illusion vanished, the palace 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:51.200 immediately reverted to what it truly was, a 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.620 collection of repurposed administrative buildings. 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:55.860 Today, the preserved structures of this complex 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.960 are designated as a truly scenic area in China. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:02.399 For context, 5A is the highest official rating 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:04.619 given to the most important and well maintained 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:06.940 tourist attractions in the country. It's a huge 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:10.420 deal. It is. It's a massive destination and a 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:12.740 first -grade national museum, which brings us 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:15.460 back to you, the listener. Exploring the history 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:18.619 of this salt palace makes you consider how the 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:21.059 physical spaces you inhabit daily reflect your 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:23.779 own true agency. Yeah. Are you the master of 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.839 your domain or are you just picking out the break 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.960 room chairs while someone else holds the real 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:30.730 power? It raises a vital question about how we 00:17:30.730 --> 00:17:33.569 remember and interact with history. I'd like 00:17:33.569 --> 00:17:35.529 to leave you with a final thought to ponder. 00:17:36.190 --> 00:17:38.730 OK. Consider how the state officially names this 00:17:38.730 --> 00:17:41.650 site today. In English, we often politely refer 00:17:41.650 --> 00:17:44.029 to it as the Museum of the Imperial Palace of 00:17:44.029 --> 00:17:47.269 Manchukuo. But in China, the structures are officially 00:17:47.269 --> 00:17:50.589 and deliberately referred to as the Puppet Emperor's 00:17:50.589 --> 00:17:54.009 Palace and Exhibition Hall or the illegitimate 00:17:54.009 --> 00:17:56.990 Manchukuo Imperial Palace Museum. Wow, they don't 00:17:56.990 --> 00:17:59.880 mince words. Not at all. By literally baking 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:02.279 the words puppet and illegitimate into the official 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:04.720 name on the front door, the museum ensures that 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:07.240 the building is forever forced to wear its historical 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:10.200 shame. I love that. It guarantees that no visitor 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:12.380 walking through those gates marveling at the 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:15.099 architecture can ever fall for the grand illusion 00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:17.880 that Pui and the Japanese military tried so desperately 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:20.970 to build. The truth is carved right into the 00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.269 entrance. A grand illusion that, in the end, 00:18:23.710 --> 00:18:26.529 was nothing more than a cramped salt tax office 00:18:26.529 --> 00:18:28.809 with a really nice coat of paint. Thanks for 00:18:28.809 --> 00:18:30.450 joining us on this deep dive. See you next time.