Forbidden City: The Great Within, Second Edition by May Holdsworth, Caroline Courtauld, Jonathan Spence (Introduction)

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Synopsis

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.

• Introduction by pre-eminent China scholar Jonathan Spence
• Explains the rich history of the home of the Chinese emperor
• Draws on previously inaccessible information in Beijing
• Explores the lifestyles behind the Forbidden City's walls
• Extensive quotes from early days, including views from palace maids and eunuchs
• Detailed map of the Forbidden City's layout
• 110 color photos and 10 maps & plans

Biography

May Holdsworth was born in Shanghai and educated in Hong Kong, Malaysia and England. She has been writing about China since 1979. Caroline Courtauld is a writer, published photographer, and documentary film producer. Currently she is co-executive producer on Building China Modern to be broadcast on PBS in fall 2007. Jonathan Spence has written a great number of acclaimed works on China. Hu Chui, head of the photographic and information department of the Palace Museum, Beijing, entered the museum studio at the end of 1978. His acclaimed work has been published in dozens of publications, and has been exhibited in the USA, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy.