The Forbidden City

by Holdsworth, May

• ISBN13: 9780195906080
• ISBN10: 019590608X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The principal residence of China's emperors for nearly five centuries, Beijing's Forbidden City was long shrouded in mystery, inaccessible both to common Chinese and to visitors from abroad. Exploring the palace's grand rituals and detailing the quotidian processes of its everyday life, this beautifully illustrated introduction goes beyond standard tourists' guidebooks to provide a detailed picture of the private world hidden behind imperial walls.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vi	(2)
Plan of the Forbidden City	viii
1 Prologue: A Grand Audience	1	(5)
2 Capital of the Celestial Empire: The Forbidden City 1420-1911	4	(14)
3 Fearful Symmetry: Architecture and Fengshui	18	(13)
4 Diligent Administration: Ruling from the Forbidden City	31	(11)
5 The Jade Document: Births, Marriages, and Deaths in the Forbidden City	42	(9)
6 Pleasures of an Imperial Life: Festivals, Theatre, and Summer Palaces	51	(9)
7 Good Housekeeping: Domestic Matters in the Forbidden City	60	(12)
8 A Passion for Collecting: Treasures of the Palace Museum	72	(10)
The Ming and Qing Emperors	82	(1)
Selected Bibliography	83	(2)
Index	85