In 1912, the Qing dynasty was ousted and a republic was declared. Puyi, the last Qing emperor, was emperor of Manchukuo (Manchuria) in 1934–1945. He died without issue in 1967. His brother Prince Pujie was next in line under Manchukuo's succession law, which is the most recently published agreed upon succession rule for the house. Stories published in the Chicago Times and The New York Times acknowledge Pujie as heir to the throne.
Since Pujie died in 1994, a half-brother, Jin Youzhi, has claimed this status, notably in a 2006 lawsuit. This case was dismissed without a ruling on the issue. Jin also sued to obtain royalties from the sale of Puyi's autobiography. Pujie was survived by a daughter, Princess Husheng, who was born in 1941. However, the law restricts succession to males.
In The Empty Throne, Tony Scotland tells how he found another claimant, Prince Yuyan, living in a mud floor hovel near the imperial palace. Yuyan, a distant cousin of Puyi, told Scotland that the former emperor made him heir to the throne in a ceremony performed while they were imprisoned in Russia together in 1950. This claim is not supported by any official document, although it was customary in the Qing dynasty that an emperor name his successor in a will or edict. Puyi's autobiography confirms merely that the idea was discussed. Yuyan died in 1997. His eldest son is Prince Hengzhen, who was born in 1944. There is no indication that Yuyan designated him heir to the throne, or that he claims this status.