The Last Emperor: An Evening with Paul French
6: 30 pm, Tuesday, 3 November 2026
Poon’s London, Somerset House
Discover the extraordinary true story of China’s last emperor
EA Festival is delighted to present an intimate evening with bestselling historian Paul French, celebrating the publication of his major new book, The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City.
The event takes place at Poon’s at Somerset House, the acclaimed restaurant from Amy Poon and the latest chapter in one of the most distinguished - and best-loved - family stories in British Chinese food.
In the early 1920s, China’s boy emperor Puyi and his young bride Wanrong lived within the otherworldly splendour of the Forbidden City: an emperor and empress without an empire, surrounded by scheming courtiers, fawning servants and corrupt eunuchs.
Beyond its monumental red walls, China was being transformed by revolution. Within them, Puyi faced the constant possibility of restoration, deposition or assassination. In 1924, the imperial couple was expelled from the Forbidden City, bringing the centuries-old Manchu dynasty to its final end.
Their story has fascinated the world for generations - not least through Bernardo Bertolucci’s Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor. Yet, until now, we have never known the full story.
Drawing upon previously unpublished memoirs, diaries, letters and photographs, Paul French will take us deep inside the hidden world of Puyi and Wanrong and introduce the dazzling cast of characters surrounding them during the last days of Imperial China.
Among French’s most important discoveries is the previously unknown archive of Isabel Ingram, Wanrong’s American tutor. Made available by Ingram’s family, these materials shed significant new light on the imperial couple’s final years in the Forbidden City and challenge long-held assumptions about their marriage.
The result is a sweeping story of tradition and revolution, duty and intrigue - and a young married couple confronting a rapidly changing and increasingly hostile world.
An exceptional evening at Poon’s
This special event will take place in the beautiful private dining room at Poon’s at Somerset House, the newly opened restaurant from Amy Poon.
The Poon family occupies a legendary place in the history of Chinese food in Britain. Amy’s father, Bill Poon, opened his first London restaurant in 1973 and went on to establish the Michelin-starred Poon’s of Covent Garden, whose celebrated clientele included some of the most recognisable names in international culture and entertainment.
Amy Poon has revived and reimagined that extraordinary culinary inheritance for a new generation. Descended from a Michelin-starred legacy, Poon’s has become renowned for its deeply personal approach to Chinese food, drawing upon the family dishes, techniques and flavours with which Amy grew up.
Its arrival at Somerset House - one of London’s great cultural landmarks - marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Poon family.
Guests may attend the book talk and drinks reception alone or reserve one of just 22 places for dinner with Paul French following the talk.
The Programme
6:00 pm - Doors open.
6:30–7:30 pm - Paul French discusses The Last Emperor of China: Twilight of the Forbidden City. (Followed by a book signing.)
7:45 pm - Dinner with the author for guests holding a Talk + Dinner ticket.
TICKET
TALK, DRINK, NIBBLES + DINNER WITH WINE - £118
TALK, DRINK & NIBBLES - £35
About Paul French
Paul French is a bestselling author and critically acclaimed historian specialising in modern Chinese history. Originally from London, he lived and worked in Shanghai for many years and has spent more than two decades studying China and bringing its history vividly to life.
His internationally acclaimed Midnight in Peking was a New York Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. It won both the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction.
His subsequent book, City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir, was widely praised, with The Economist describing French as a “champion storyteller”. His other books include the acclaimed Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year in 1920s China.
Combining painstaking original research with the narrative force of a novelist, French has established himself as one of the foremost chroniclers of China’s extraordinary twentieth century.
The Last Emperor of China has been praised as a “tour de force of historical writing” and “a fresh, human take on a critical period of change in China”. It is history told on a grand scale - and through the intimate experiences of the people who lived it.
About Poon’s
Poon’s is a Chinese heritage food brand created by Amy Poon and descended from one of Britain’s most celebrated Chinese restaurant families.
Amy’s parents, Bill and Cecilia Poon, established a succession of renowned London restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Poon’s of Covent Garden. Today, Amy continues their legacy through food rooted in family history while introducing the depth, variety and sophistication of Chinese cooking to a new generation.
Poon’s at Somerset House is the family’s new London restaurant, serving home-cooked Chinese food in one of the capital’s most important cultural destinations.
This intimate EA Festival evening brings together remarkable Chinese history, one of its finest contemporary storytellers and an exceptional British Chinese culinary legacy.