Jin Hengkai returned from labour camps to live near the Drum Tower, close to the sprawling palaces of his princely family in the northern part of Beijing.
But today, instead of enjoying the luxury of his birthright, he lives in one room, working as a night watchman for a real-estate company.
His great-grandfather was Prince Tun, who incited the Boxer Rebellion. His father was Yu Yun, who accompanied Pu Yi, imperial China's last emperor, first to Changchun as head of the Japanese Manchukuo state and later to 12 years in Soviet and Chinese prisons. Pu Yi appointed Yu Yun the rightful heir to the Manchu throne, so in theory, Jin Hengkai has a right to claim the title.
His father died in 1999 after spending 32 years in various types of prison.
'He was a victim of class struggle,' said 56-year-old Mr Jin, who was sent with his father to a labour camp in 1961 after they could not feed themselves during the famine. 'We didn't know how to use the ration tickets,' he said.
He and his elder brother, Jin Hengzhen, could not find work, and were rejected for farm labour as they were too weak. The Public Security Ministry took responsibility for them. Jin Hengzhen was sent to work for the Xinjiang Border Guard and Construction Corps and was only allowed back to the capital in 1998.