Reginald Johnston’s Zhangwang Hutong

Posted: September 26th, 2026 | No Comments »

When appointed Puyi’s tutor in 1919 one of the perks for Reginald Johnston (apart from a salary 4X his previous British government one) was a courtyard residence at #15 Zhangwang Hutong, east of Jiugulou Street in the Andingmen Subdistrict of Beijing. Sadly it remains officially unmarked, though local residents all know its history and “teacher Zhang Shidun”.

Johnston hosted many guests on the narrow Zhangwang Hutong including, Empress Wanrong’s tutor Isabel Ingram, May 4th intellectual Hu Shih, the visiting Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and the last Marquis of Extended Grace (Zhu Yuxun, a relic title of the Ming Dynasty)…

The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City (Elliot & Thompson) is out now in the UK; US in November.

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