The Forbidden City

This is an admirable little book, dealing with an iconic building in China, if not a series of buildings, the Forbidden City. The product of the Ming and Qing rulerz and a symbol of China and its recent history (no one building could probably symbolize all of it, given the age of the culture and its continuity). I approached this book with expectations of learning two things, first about Chinese building cocepts and techniques. In this first thing, the book does not provide much to enhance understanding of this particular point. There is a glossary of terms, but really if you are seeking to understand Chinese imperial architecture, this is not the book for you. Despite these shortcomings, the book does succeed very well in discussing the meaning that these series of buildings has had and will likely have as long as there is a China and how this has changed as living memories of the revolution have faded. As is always the case, as China has become less ideological and more reasonable, there is a greater appreciation of the past and more respect for what the Forbidden City means to the population in general. During the Cultural Revolution, Zhou Enlai felt the only thing that could be done with the building was to close it because tempers ran so high. There are also marvelous stories about the building and its content. I suppose that because I grew up near New Orleans, I have always liked stories about faded glory and decadence of the always reliable upper classes. In the aftermath of the fall of the Q'ing dynasty, both the eunuchs and Pu Yi, the last emperor were apparently competing in some sort of contest of larceny before the entire collection of the Forbidden City could be catalogued and placed in glass cases for the edification of the general public. The eunuchs managed to get out enough to set themselves up in a series of antique stores in the vicinity of the Forbidden City. The former emperor (he was six when he abdicated) managed to get enough out to furnish his shabby court when he was ruler of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo (here, as always, the Japanese helped out). Both sides eyed each as they hid various priceless treasures, the eunuchs burning down an entire building in order to cover up their crimes. .Both the stories and the quest for meaning provide the central strengths of the book.. So if you are looking for something to provide you with insight or are just curious about imperial Chinese history, check out this book. It is worth the effort.

If you want a big, glossy picture book of the Forbidden City don't buy this book. If you want something lovely that you'll keep forever, buy it indeed! This is the "Little Black Book" on the subject of the palace itself and so much more. It's a small, neat, lovely to handle edition whose only colour is in the red endpapers that are exactly the red of the Forbidden City's palace walls. The old, grainy, black and white photographs add to the pleasure and increase the feeling that you are getting something true and genuine instead of just another travel guide. Geremie Barme's text is erudite, as you'd expect from a Professor of Asian History, but it's also deliciously gossipy and has a pace and feeling for detail that is never boring. Professor Barme is especially good on the modern uses the Forbidden City has been put to, and his views on the Communist era are refreshingly balanced, putting Chairman Mao into the "Imperial" context very nicely. I especially loved it because it had a picture of an event I actually attended: the 1976 funeral of Chou En Lai. The shock of seeing it, just as it was, came as a delightful surprise. A lovely book. It feels Chinese.

This great book gives an amazing "counter-revolutionary" history of the great Forbidden City of the Chinese Emperors. You'll read how the city is seen in all sorts of manifestations, including in movies, how it was ignored in the hey day of communist china by both the government and also politically correct visitors in the 70s, how from gradual openings in the late 70s to how you can barely find a quite spot. Another point: its a very large city, both in size, grandeur, history and importance. Lots of great photographs populate the American edition.