Tutor to the Dragon Emperor: The Life of Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston at the Court of the Last Emperor

In 1919, Reginald Fleming Johnston became tutor to the last emperor of China. This was the beginning of an extraordinary friendship which ultimately lead to mutual betrayal: Johnston's writings about their relationship unwittingly condemned Pu Yi as a willing tool of the Japanese during World War II; while the emperor, facing possible execution for war crimes, effectively called his former tutor a liar and his book a fabrication. This biography examines Johnston's life, from his early travels in and studies of China as a young employee of the colonial service, to his six years as tutor and confidante to the young emperor, where he witnessed the country slide into ruin and war, and finally, his last days on the Scottish island of Eilean Righ.