Forbidden City (A Place in History) [Paperback]

Frances Wood (Author)

RRP:	�8.99
Price:	�8.03 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Deal Price:
You Save:	�0.96 (11%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Only 2 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.

Want delivery by Tuesday, 28 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

› See more product promotions

Book Description

Publication Date: 23 May 2005 | ISBN-10: 0714127892 | ISBN-13: 978-0714127897

The Forbidden City is located in the heart of Beijing/Peking. It has been the focus of authority in imperial China for over 6 centuries. A city within a city, its high red walls enclosed the centre of government, the imperial palace. Also enclosed within are huge lakes dotted with islands and pleasure-boats, workshops producing clothing, furniture and fittings and luxury items for the court and a zoo with horses, cats, elephants and, occasionally, a giraffe. For hundreds of years, thousands of eunuchs served their imperial masters within the Forbidden City, taking control of the flow of administrative documents and all the daily needs of emperors and women of the palace. This lively book introduces the colourful characters who inhabited the Forbidden City and vividly evokes the strictly prescribed rituals that made up life behind its walls. In the 16th and 17th centuries, a tiny number of foreign envoys, from the Persian Gulf and from Holland, described the discomforts of waiting for hours in the freezing cold to catch a glimpse of the Emperor in his yellow silk sedan chair but it was not until the very end of the 19th century that westerners managed to penetrate the Forbidden City. This book allows you to do just that, under the guidance of one of its most learned and enthusiastic admirers.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } The Forbidden City is located in the heart of Beijing/Peking. It has been the focus of authority in imperial China for over 6 centuries. A city within a city, its high red walls enclosed the centre of government, the imperial palace. Also enclosed within are huge lakes dotted with islands and pleasure-boats, workshops producing clothing, furniture and fittings and luxury items for the court and a zoo with horses, cats, elephants and, occasionally, a giraffe. For hundreds of years, thousands of eunuchs served their imperial masters within the Forbidden City, taking control of the flow of administrative documents and all the daily needs of emperors and women of the palace. This lively book introduces the colourful characters who inhabited the Forbidden City and vividly evokes the strictly prescribed rituals that made up life behind its walls. In the 16th and 17th centuries, a tiny number of foreign envoys, from the Persian Gulf and from Holland, described the discomforts of waiting for hours in the freezing cold to catch a glimpse of the Emperor in his yellow silk sedan chair but it was not until the very end of the 19th century that westerners managed to penetrate the Forbidden City. This book allows you to do just that, under the guidance of one of its most learned and enthusiastic admirers.

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

The Diamond Sutra: The Story of the World's Earliest Dated Printed …
› Frances Wood

Hardcover

�16.85

Product details

Paperback: 88 pages
Publisher: British Museum Press (23 May 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0714127892
ISBN-13: 978-0714127897
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 17.1 x 24.1 cm
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 727,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #83 in Books > History > Archaeology > By Region > Asian

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Frances Wood Page

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

"Wood describes the customs and politics, the characters and the hanger-ons of the Forbidden City."
--Good Book Guide, 2005

About the Author

Frances Wood is the author of numerous guides, memoirs and other books on China, including Blue Guide: China, Did Marco Polo Go to China?, A Companion to China, No Dogs and Not Many Chinese and Hand-Grenade Practice in Peking. She is Head of the Chinese Section of the British Library.

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet.

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

There are no customer reviews yet.

Write a customer review

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }