The Forbidden City (Images of Asia)
Editorial Reviews
Asian Affairs, Sir Robin McLaren, former British ambassador to China
Few can fail to wonder about what it was like to live and work in the palace in the days when all political power was concentrated there. This handsome volume...will provide fresh insights for the visitor or anyone curious about such matters. Its stunning photographs and illustrations suggest the coffee table, but the text is not just for skimming. Short but informative essays deal among other things with the history and layout of the palace; the role of the emperor and the ceremonial and symbolism associated with his office; the Jesuit fathers who infiltrated the system, valued for their scientific and artistic skills but not for their faith; and the private lives of the emperors, their consorts and concubines, and the hundreds of eunuchs and serving maids who kept the system running.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
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.
The Forbidden City (Images of Asia)
The Forbidden City (Images of Asia),May Holdsworth,Oxford University Press, USA,019590608X,Architecture,Art,Asia - China,Beijing,China,China - History,Forbidden City (Beijing, China,Forbidden City (Beijing, China),General,History Of Individual Cities,International Architecture - Asian,Palaces,Art & Architecture | History | Non-Western,Asian / Middle Eastern history,Castles,History / China,Travel & holiday guides
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