The Forbidden City

From 1405 until 1912, the occupant of the Dragon Throne determined the fate of China, and indeed of Asia. The Forbidden City was Imperial China's centre of power, and the world's most extravagant palace. This chronicle of the palace, a blend of history, anecdote, narrative, biographical portraits and illustrations, carries the reader through 500 years of Imperial China. The Forbidden City's supreme political significance is described through the main events of an emperor's ceremonial life. Of the thousands who lived in the city, only one inhabitant was an adult male - the Emperor himself. Drawing on rare reminiscences left by palace eunuchs and maidservants, the book evokes the secret stultifying world of the Inner Court, where the Emperor and his concubines lived their private lives. Another theme deals with attempts by European missionaries, diplomats and traders to penetrate the Forbidden City, and shows how the impact of the West eventually led to the collapse of the glittering. corrupt court of Imperial China.
The book is being published to coincide with an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Forbidden City's palace to the public.