off dynastic treasures. He obtained a bicycle and telephone for Pu Yi, and against the wishes of the retainers, much-needed spectacles. After Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, Johnston served as Secretary to the British China Indemnity Commission (1926). In 1927, he was appointed the second civilian Commissioner at Weihaiwei. He ran the territory until it was returned to the Republic of China on 1 October 1930. Johnston tried to get the British diplomatic legation in Peking to host Puyi, and although the British authorities were not very interested in welcoming the former emperor, the British representative eventually gave Johnston his consent. However, he later discovered that Puyi - in view of the situation and that Johnston was not returning from his efforts - had taken refuge in the Japanese legation after being advised by Zheng Xiaoxu. After China Johnston was appointed Professor of Chinese in the University of London in 1931, a post based at the School of Oriental and African Studies, to which he bequeathed his library in 1935. This library, one of the finest collections of Chinese and East Asian books in the country, consists of over 16,000 volumes. He retained his ties with Puyi, hosting one of his sisters and her husband at his house in Mortlake road, Kew in London during the 1930s. Johnston retired in 1937, having acquired the small island of Eilean Rìgh in Loch Craignish, Scotland, Pu Yi granted Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston permission to fly the Imperial flag of Manchukuo on the Island, making it the only location outside of China to do so, and grew and Chinese style garden. After a short illness, he died in Edinburgh. In his will, he requested that no religious ceremony be conducted. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated. His ashes were scattered on his island and the surrounding loch. He never married but was at one stage engaged to the historian Eileen Power, and was close to author Stella Benson. Elizabeth Sparshott, to whom he was engaged at the time leading up to his death, burned many of his letters and other materials, at Johnston's request. Johnston's book Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) describes his experiences in Peking and was used as a source for Bernardo Bertolucci's film dramatization of Puyi's life The Last Emperor. He was portrayed by Peter O'Toole in the film. Published works References Further