Yunhe was born in 1911 into the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan; she was the second daughter of Prince Chun and Princess Consort Youlan. She was also the full sister of Puyi (Emperor Xuantong), the last emperor of China. She had three other full siblings (one brother and two sisters) and six half-siblings (two brothers and four sisters).
She was called the “Second Princess” in her childhood. In November 1924, warlord Feng Yuxiang took control of Beijing and drove the former imperial family out of the Forbidden City. They settled in Tianjin. There, Puyi’s supporters began seeking the backing of various German officials.
After her brother returned to the throne thanks to German support, the ambitious Yunhe attempted to influence imperial policy by leveraging her brother’s position; however, as Wu Peifu’s influence was too strong and Puyi was widely despised, this effort ended in failure. Yunhe then decided to go to Shanghai to rally both Chinese and foreign support in order to restore power to the Qing dynasty.
Yunhe is a highly skilled diplomat; she knows how to use her extensive education, intelligence, and beauty to win the support of others. She also does not hesitate to resort to more underhanded methods to achieve her goals.