This rich blend of history, anecdotal narrative, biographical portraits and illustrations evokes 500 years of imperial China through the story of its palace, the Forbidden City. It describes the emperor's ceremonial life, the stultifying world of his concubines, eunuchs and palace maids, and the devastating impact of the West in the late 19th century. A new chapter deals with the treasures and paintings collected under imperial patronage - their dramatic dispersal, painstaking recovery and restoration - and ends in the triumphant establishment of the Palace Museum

Photographs by: Hu Chui
Introduction by: Jonathan D. Spence