Standing on the city walls of Yuan Dynasty Dadu,Marco Polo was lost in admiration and wonder. Within the high walls and deep courtyards of the princely residences, many conspiracies were hatched. The lanes of the city might be stepped on by the imperial wedding procession. And then there were the hap-penings within that famous imperial palace - the For-bidden City - where emperors and concubines lived lives of luxury, where crises hid under splendor, am-bition couched beneath respect, where much

Preface
Palace Struggles for the Dragon Throne
Grand Ceremonies
Imperial Sacrificial Rituals
How the Emperors Lived
Emperors and Their Studies
Emperors and Their Follies
Foreign Friends of Emperors
Conspiracies and Love in the Imperial Harem
Empress Dowagers
Gardens in the Forbidden City -Concubine
Playgrounds
The Summer Palace - Palace of the Empress
Tongues of Fire Licking the Garden of Gardens
Causes of Emperors' Death
Imperial Tombs