Life inside the Forbidden City

CHAPTER 1

Life inside the Forbidden City: how women were selected for service

All females living in the Forbidden City were carefully sequestered in the imperial quarters deep inside the palace. They were restricted to the inner court and forbidden from venturing out of the northern section. Most women in the Forbidden City were employed as maids and servants, but there was also a select group of concubines whose task was to bear children for the emperor – as many as he could father. Those who gave birth to male offspring were elevated to imperial consorts, with the empress at the top of the pecking order. The inner court was composed of three major groups of women: concubines, palace servants, and the royal princesses

Concubines

Selecting partners

Women were selected as xiunu (elegant females) for the court as early as the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD) and the selection criteria ranged from emperor to emperor. In the Ming dynasty, for example, no household was exempt from the selection. According to statutes, all young unmarried women went through xiunu selection process. Only girls who where married or with certified physical disabilities or deformities were exempt.

But the Qing Emperor Shunzhi (1638-61) began to exclude most of the Han population by limiting selection to "Eight Banners" families, who were mainly Manchurian and Mongolian. (Eight Banners was a Manchurian administrative and military framework.)

The Board of Revenue sent notices to officials in the capital and provincial garrisons to enlist the help of clan heads. The banner officials then submitted a list of all available females to the commanders’ headquarters in Beijing and to the Board of Revenue. The Board of Revenue then set the date for selection.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECTION
During the Qing dynasty, girls were brought on the appointed day to the Shenwu (Martial Spirit) Gate of the Forbidden City for inspection. They would be accompanied by their parents, or nearest relatives, together with their clan heads and local officials.

In the Ming dynasty, social background was no barrier and many emperors chose concubines from the general public. The empress was the one exception – she was always selected from the family of a high-ranking official.
Fewer than 100 candidates were selected to spend several nights with women who specialised in training and managing maids. Candidates’ bodies were inspected for problems, including skin infections, unwanted body hair and body odour.
The finalists were initiated into forms of acceptable behaviour and how to speak, gesture and walk. They also learned arts such as painting, reading, writing, chess and dancing.
Finally, the standout candidates spent several days serving as the emperor’s mother’s maids and taking care of her daily needs. They underwent further inspections while sleeping by the mother’s side to root out any bad nocturnal habits such as snoring, emitting odours, or talking or walking in their sleep.

During the first round of the competition, the women stood in lines of 100 according to age

One thousand were eliminated for being too tall, short, fat or thin

On the second day, the eunuchs intensively examined the women's bodies, and evaluated their voices and general manner. This slimmed down the field by another 2,000

The third day was spent observing their feet and hands, and grace of movement. Another 1,000 were eliminated

The remaining 1,000 underwent gynaecological examinations, dismissing another 700 from the process

The remaining 300 were then housed in the palace where they underwent a month-long series of tests for intelligence, merit, temperament and moral character

The top 50 candidates were subject to further examinations and interviews about maths, literature and art, and ranked accordingly

The three favourites would receive the highest ranking for imperial concubines

Only a few of those who made it through this rigorous process would be noticed by the emperor and win his favour. Most would spend their lives in bitter loneliness, and unsurprisingly, politics and jealousy was rife among concubines. Beauty was more of a curse than a blessing in China during this period of history.

ACTIVITIES
Naturally, concubines were strictly forbidden from having sex with anyone other than the emperor.

Most of their activities were overseen and monitored by the eunuchs, who wielded great power in the palace. Concubines were required to bathe and be examined by a court doctor before the emperor visited their bed chamber.

With hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of concubines at the emperor’s disposal, any lady the emperor graced with a visit would be subject to jealous rivalries. Concubines had their own rooms and would fill their days applying make-up, sewing, practising various arts and socialising with other concubines. Many of them spent their entire lives in the palace without any contact with the emperor.

HIERARCHY

Qing Dynasty harem system
The ranking remained consistent but the number of consorts and concubines varied under different emperors

POLYGAMY
Polygamy was common practice in feudal China, although only upper- and wealthy middle-class men could afford to take several wives. It was seen as an affirmation of male potency, and the presence of many women was taken to indicate a man’s virility.

The emphasis was on procreation and the continuity of the father’s family name. Confucianism emphasised the ability of a man to manage a family as part of his personal growth in daxue (great learning). In the case of the emperor, guaranteeing a successor to the throne was of paramount importance.

1. The strict distinction between main wife and concubines

The main wife was superior to all other wives. She was responsible for submitting to the higher principles of polygamy and to mentor the other wives in harmonious behaviour for the greater good.

2. Women must not be jealous

Women, especially the main wife, had to rise above their earthly emotions. The belief that they were living for a higher purpose presumably helped displace feelings of bitterness, jealousy and rivalry.

3. Attachment could radically destabilise polygamy

The husband should not have a favourite, nor should any of the wives monopolise the man. Love had to be distributed evenly among the wives, which effectively meant that passionate attachment was not acceptable.

4. Polygamy could only survive by observing a strict hierarchy

Each dynasty had its own set of titles and ranks for the imperial wives. The empress ranked at the top, with more wives filling successive echelons below her. Most wives occupied the lower echelons. Hierarchy was determined at specific times, such as when a new wife joined the imperial family and was assigned a rank.

EMPEROR’S SEXUAL ROTATION
It was believed that organising the emperor’s sex life was essential to maintaining the well-being of the entire Chinese empire. The Chinese calendars of the 10th century were not used to keep track of time but rather to keep the emperor’s sex schedule in check. The rotation of concubines sleeping with the emperor was kept to a regimented order. Secretaries were employed to record the emperor’s sex life with brushes dipped in imperial vermilion.

MOON CYCLE
In China, and some other Asian countries, age is determined from the moment of conception, not the moment of birth. The Imperial Chinese believed that women were most likely to conceive during the full moon, when the Yin, or female influence, was strong enough to match the Yang, or male force, of the emperor. The empress and other wives slept with the emperor around the time of the full moon because it was believed children of strong virtue would be conceived on those nights. The lower-ranking concubines were tasked with nourishing the emperor’s Yang with their Yin, sleeping with him around the time of the new moon.

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THE FATE OF A FAVOURITE

Zhenfei entered the palace in 1899 during the Guangxu reign at the age of 13. She was later promoted to the title of imperial concubine, second to Empress Longyu, who was the niece of Empress Dowager Cixi. Zhenfei was a beautiful and intelligent woman. As the Guangxu emperor’s favourite consort, she gained much influence in the imperial court. Popularly known as the “Pearl Consort”, she hated rules and regulations. She was prone to acts of rebellion which infuriated Cixi, who began to look for an excuse to punish her.

On June 20, 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance laid siege to Beijing and Cixi forced the emperor to flee with her to Xian. Before they left, Cixi ordered Zhenfei to commit suicide on the pretext that her youth and beauty would endanger the royal party as well as bring shame if she were raped by foreign soldiers. Zhenfei refused, asking instead for an audience with the emperor. It is believed Dowager Cixi responded by ordering eunuchs to throw Zhenfei to her death down a well behind the Ningxia Palace.

Palace servants

The Qing Palace Maids

Maids were female servants in the palace. They were ranked according to their families’ social position and they would only be recruited from the Eight Banners families that were mainly Manchurians and Mongolians. They were selected when they reached the age of 13. Their role was to attend to the daily needs of the empress, imperial consorts and concubines. They could not leave their ladies’ sides, day or night, seven days a week. The maid-in-waiting held the highest rank.

MAIDS ASSIGNATION
The number of maids assigned to high-ranking women varied

WET NURSES

Imperial consorts and concubines wanted to mark their high status and spare themselves the physical challenges of breastfeeding. This resulted in wet nurses coming to high prominence during the Ming dynasty.

THE SELECTION

One of the more unusual responsibilities that the Rites and Proprietary office bestowed upon eunuchs was to recruit between 20 and 40 lactating women every three months.

Whenever a baby was due in the palace, 40 wet nurses and 80 substitutes were employed. Imperial sons were breastfed by a wet nurse whose own child was a girl, and vice versa in the cases of imperial daughters. This way the yin and yang could be matched and the substitution of babies, accidental or otherwise, could be averted.

REQUIREMENTS

When working, wet nurses received a clothing allowance, rice with about five ounces of meat a day, and coal in cold weather.

Royal princesess

Women in the imperial family

The emperor’s unmarried female relatives were not allowed to live outside the inner palace.

RANK METHODOLOGY
Imperial daughters were ranked according to their bloodline to the emperor and their mother’s title.

THE OTHER WAY TO BECOME A NOBLE
Other male members of the nobility looking for wives and concubines also had access to the xiunu (beauties) from the Eight Banners families. Lists of candidates were made and presented to the palace in groups of three or five. Those selected would either become palace concubines, be married to either the emperor’s sons or grandsons, or be married to princes and dukes and their sons and grandsons. Empresses came from this rank of “beauties”.

Life inside the Forbidden City

chapter 2

How an army of eunuchs ran the Forbidden City

JULY 23, 2018

Marcelo
Duhalde
The presence of eunuchs in the Chinese court was a long-standing tradition. These emasculated men served as palace menials, spies and harem watchdogs throughout the ancient world. An army of eunuchs was attached to the Forbidden City, primarily to safeguard the imperial ladies’ chastity.

Confucian values deemed it vital for the emperor, seen as heaven’s representative on Earth, to produce a direct male heir to maintain harmony between heaven and Earth. Not wanting to leave anything to chance during a period with a high infant mortality rate, the world’s largest harem was placed at the emperor’s disposal to ensure enough heirs would survive into adulthood.

History and facts

A 2,000 year system

Court chronicles record Chinese kings keeping emasculated servants in the eighth century BC, but historians generally date the appearance of eunuchs in court to the reign of Han Huan Di (AD 146-167). The government role occupied by eunuchs meant that over time they were able to exert enough influence on emperors to gain control of state affairs and even cause the fall of some dynasties. The power of the eunuchs endured partly due to the ambitions of the consort families and partly as a result of the secluded lifestyle which etiquette prescribed for the emperor.

The eunuch system came to an end when it was abolished on November 5, 1924, when the last emperor, Puyi was driven out of the Forbidden City, where he had been living since the 1912 revolution.

REASONS TO BECOME A EUNUCH

Coercion

About an eighth of those who became eunuchs were young children bowing to parental pressure. Families would receive a cash reward for donating their sons, but they also hoped their children would have a more comfortable and prosperous life in the palace

Poverty

Some adults, with no economic means to lead an honest and acceptable way of life, preferred emasculation to a life of begging and stealing

Free choice

Some men, who could only envision a life of futility and hardship, were envious of the seemingly easy lifestyle enjoyed by palace eunuchs

Punishment

Emperor Guangwu of Han (reign between 25 and 57 BC) commuted all death sentences to emasculation and successive emperors followed this edict

BAO OR TREASURE
Bao translates as “the three preciouses” – the testicles and penis. The new eunuch’s bao was put into a container with a capacity of about 24 fluid ounces, sealed, and then placed on a high shelf

1 Every time a eunuch received an advance in rank he had to pass a strict examination. Promotion was impossible without the bao. The examination process was called yan bao, and was lead by the head eunuch. The inspection was often a source of profit for knifers, because sometimes careless or ignorant eunuchs forgot to claim their “precious” after emasculation. They would then be forced to pay a high price to recover the bao. Bao were sometimes borrowed, purchased or rented.

2 When a eunuch died, he was buried with his bao. If he didn't have his own, he would try to obtain another before his death. Eunuchs wanted to be as complete as possible when leaving this world because they believed they would have their masculinity restored in the afterlife. Tradition had it that Jun Wang, the king of the underworld, would turn those without their bao into a female mule. The ancient Chinese had a great fear of deformity.

PHYSICAL CHANGES AND APPEARANCE
Emasculation cuts off the supply of male hormones to the body, leaving eunuchs with high voices. It also affected their bladder control, so they often wet their beds and clothes. This is the source of the old Chinese expression “as smelly as a eunuch”. They were also rendered too weak to perform strenuous physical activities.

According to G. Carter Stent, in his article “Chinese eunuchs”, published in 1877, emasculation affected character and could make eunuchs appear much older. They were vulnerable to bouts of extreme emotions, including moments of uncontrollable anger.

Labour

Duties and influence

Eunuchs were required to preserve the air of sanctity and secrecy that imbued the imperial presence. Regarding outdoor employment, eunuchs acted as water-carriers, watchmen, chair-bearers, and gardeners; while their indoor duties covered work normally performed by cooks and chamber, parlour or scullery maids. In short, they were involved in every aspect of palace life.

MANAGEMENT
There were 10,000 eunuchs in the palace by the end of the 15th century and 70,000 by 1644. This number was the result of an increasing number of men seeking work in the Forbidden City and undergoing voluntary emasculation. At the beginning of the Qing dynasty the number was reduced to 3,000, because the Manchus were concerned the eunuchs had too much influence in the royal court

The Qing Dynasty divided the eunuch administration into 48 departments, each with its own particular set of duties. Each department had its own superintendent, while a chief eunuch, or general supervisor, presided over all the departments; this office was usually ranked third grade

During the late Qing dynasty the salaries of eunuchs varied from two to four silver taels per month (US$49 to US$98), The highest salary a eunuch could receive was 12 taels (US$294), regardless of rank

EUNUCH AGENCIES
The imperial city surrounded the forbidden city, functioning like a maintenance plant for both the government, and the imperial household. Most eunuch agencies were located in the imperial city during the Ming dynasty, which is also where thousands of eunuchs lived and worked The Chinese court and civil bureaucracies were located in the imperial city. Naturally, many rivalries evolved between the eunuchs and other ministers and officials whose offices were located just outside the walls of the imperial city

SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Eighteen lama priests, all eunuchs, attended to the spiritual welfare of the ladies of the palace. They drew a double allowance as salary. When a vacancy arose among the 18, it would be quickly filled by eunuchs wanting to be priests or those with a spiritual vocation

The ladies of the palace enjoyed theatrical entertainment. A dramatic corps of 300 eunuchs was maintained, under the control of a chief eunuch, because outsiders were forbidden to enter the palace. This troupe lived in the Nan-fu, in the imperial city, just outside the palace. Their sole duties were to rehearse and perform for the palace

PUNISHMENT
Since eunuchs handled almost every palace issue, they had access to valuable information which they could use to wield power and influence, even over the emperor. As all rites and protocols were controlled by eunuchs, their power waxed and waned according to an emperor’s strength of character.

In 1655, Emperor Shunzhi issued the following decree: “The employment of eunuchs has been a tradition since ancient times. However, their abuses have often led to disastrous disturbances. They misappropriated power, intervened in government affairs, organised secret agents, murdered the innocent, commanded troops and brought their evil practices to the border regions. They even engaged in conspiratorial activities, framed those who were loyal and good, instigated factional struggles and encouraged fawning and flattery, until the affairs of state deteriorated day by day, and corruption occurred everywhere …

… From now on, anyone who is guilty of interfering with government affairs, misappropriating power, accepting bribes, involving himself in internal and external affairs, associating himself with Manchu and Han officials, reporting on things which are not his duty, or suggesting whether an official is good or bad, shall promptly be put to death, by slicing without mercy. This iron table is hereby erected so that it may be observed from generation to generation”

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Eunuchs were subjected to arbitrary punishments, ranging from monetary fines, to execution. Beatings were common, as was the sentence to cut grass (zhacao), sometimes for life. The most common crime to be punished was for desertion. If a eunuch ran away from the palace, his absence was immediately reported to a kind of police corps, whose duty was to capture runaway eunuchs. It was rare for an escape to succeed and although the men working in the force were not eunuchs they knew all the palace eunuchs. The fugitive was tried and punished after he was captured

DESERTION

First time: the culprit was imprisoned for two months. At the end of that period he received twenty blows and was sent back to his palace duties

Second time: he was put into a cangue for two months and would resume his duties as soon as his punishment ended

Third time: Third time: banishment to Moukden (now Shenyang) for two and a half years. Once again, he would resume his duties upon completion of the punishment

THIEF
Theft was also punished by banishment to Moukden. However, if the stolen object was a curio, jewellery, or other valued prize of the emperors, the offender would be taken to Chin-shan-k’ou, a destination about forty li, or 20km, from Beijing, and decapitated.

MINOR OFFENCES
Laziness, neglect of duty, or other minor offenses were punished by “bastinado”. This consisted being struck with a bamboo stick on the soles of bare feet. The culprit could receive from 80 to 100 blows

When the punishment ended, the eunuch was sent to a eunuch doctor, who dressed the wounds. In order to render the punishment more severe, the culprit would be flogged again after three days. The second session was called “raising the scabs”

chapter 3

In the Forbidden City, being the emperor didn’t equate to a life of limitless power or pleasure

AUGUST 08, 2018

Marcelo
Duhalde
For the emperor, life in the Forbidden City was not as opulent as one might imagine. While each dynasty claimed the emperor was heaven’s earthly representative destined to drive the immense country forward, the emperor remained a link in a giant bureaucratic chain compelled to follow rigorous protocols dictated by tradition.

He was obliged to attend meetings on matters of public interest from the early hours to rule on appropriate punishments and executions. He would also receive a steady stream of delegates to discuss policies and sign edicts. To compound his daily pressures, the emperor’s routine was supervised by eunuchs and officials who did not always have his best interests at heart.

Daily duties

4am

The emperor had to rise at 4am. This early rising was called ch’ing chia, meaning, “Your appearance is begged in court”. The emperor reach the hall where he was needed for the daily audience with his courtiers. He then returned to his chamber to snatch a little more sleep.

7am

The emperor formally took breakfast at 7am in spring and winter, and 6am in summer and autumn. He would pick name cards of the officials from a plate prepared by the eunuchs. After breakfast, he opened and read the memorial presented by ministers and other officials.

Noon

There was a second audience at midday when the emperor’s main duties were to read and write comments on local government memorials, or reports. More than a hundred memorials came every day from all over the empire.

1 to 3pm

Lunch time was followed by relaxation, when the emperor might unwind by composing poems or enjoying the garden.

3 to 7pm

More memorials. The papers were returned through the directorate of ceremonial office to the country administrative divisions after the emperor signed them off in red ink.

8pm

Light supper and snacks. At this time the emperor’s duties were complete and he could retire to his chambers.

The emperor had to rise at 4am. This early rising was called ch’ing chia, meaning, “Your appearance is begged in court”. The emperor used a palanquin (four guards at the front and several eunuchs to the rear) to reach the hall where he was needed for the daily audience with his courtiers. He then returned to his chamber to snatch a little more sleep.
The emperor formally took breakfast at 7am in spring and winter, and 6am in summer and autumn. He would pick name cards of the officials from a plate prepared by the eunuchs. After breakfast, he opened and read the memorial presented by ministers and other officials.
There was a second audience at midday when the emperor’s main duties were to read and write comments on local government memorials, or reports. More than a hundred memorials came every day from all over the empire.
Lunch time was followed by relaxation, when the emperor might unwind by composing poems or enjoying the garden.
More memorials. The papers were returned through the directorate of ceremonial office to the country administrative divisions after the emperor signed them off in red ink.
Light supper and snacks. At this time the emperor’s duties were complete and he could retire to his chambers.

"No one in any dynasty of China ever lived a more rigidly controlled court life than the emperor of the Ch'ing. Due to strict observance of traditional conventions of the court, the freedom of the emperor was far less than that of an ordinary man."

"As long as the emperor stayed within the court, he was restricted in every way by tradition. Consequently, it was only natural that the emperor wished to stay away from court as much as possible. When the emperor lived in a detached palace, he could lead a comparatively free life, for he was exempted from the early-morning audience, he could dine with his consorts, and every manner and custom was simplified. Nevertheless, he was not as free as an ordinary person, for he still had to give daily audiences and promulgate instructions considering the documents submitted to him … The only amusements the emperor could enjoy in the court were to attend a stage show, to practice calligraphy, and to paint. No other amusements were permitted.”

–Su Chung (the name given to Japanese-American Yokiko Toshima, when she married a man whose family had close ties to Emperor Puyi) from her book Court Dishes of China, first published in 1965.

STATE AFFAIRS
Each emperor conducted the state religious rites deemed necessary to maintain the harmonious balance between heaven and the nation.

Most of the administrative institutions of the Qing Dynasty were inherited from the Ming period. The Qing emperors were autocrats who made their decisions prevail in matters of government and state affairs. Institutions such as the grand council, grand secretariat and political conference only had assisting duties, and were not allowed to take high-level decisions themselves.

PLACES
The Ming dynasty established the Palace of Heavenly Purity as the residence of the emperor, a tradition followed by Qing emperors. When the Yongzheng Emperor (reign 1722-1735) moved his home to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he continued to hold court in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

PALACE OF HEAVENLY PURITY

Built in 1420 and rebuilt in 1798 to repair fire damage, the emperor read, and signed documents, interviewed ministers and envoys in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Banquets and other ceremonies would occasionally be held here too.

A plaque engraved with four Chinese characters written by Emperor Yongzheng meaning “justice and brightness” hangs on the throne
The box with the edict for the succession was placed behind a board closely related to the Qing system of designating the successor to the throne in secret.
Two pairs of verses written by the Qing emperors adorn the columns
Red candles and a large mirror next to the throne ward off evil spirits
The throne is arranged on a platform
Incense burners surround the throne
Behind the throne is a gilded wooden panel etched with dragons playing with a pearl

The emperors after Yongzheng followed the practice of keeping the imperial successor a secret. The emperor wrote a secret edict naming a successor from his sons. Two copies were made. One was kept by the emperor, the other was sealed in a box at the back of a horizontal board hanging over the throne.

After the emperor’s death, the regent ministers opened the two copies of the secret edict to verify with other courtiers the designated prince to succeed to the throne.

THE HALL OF MENTAL CULTIVATION

After the reign of Yongzheng the emperors used this hall for routine administrative affairs. It was divided into a front and rear section, connected by a hallway. The five-chamber rear section held the emperor’s living quarters while the front was used for administrative affairs. The emperor granted interviews to his officials in the central room where the throne was situated. The western Warm Chamber was where he frequently read memorials and discussed political affairs with his ministers.

All the palaces in the inner court were designed following the rules of strict symmetry

KNOCKING THE TILES
Inverted mud jars were placed under the floor tiles of the Hall to create a special resonance or echo when certain tiles were struck. Ministers who were given the honour of an audience with the emperor were to mention their ancestors while kowtowing. When striking their foreheads against the floor the more resonant sounds were considered a sign of great respect for the emperor. It became common practice for eunuchs in charge of the hall to indicate which places had the best resonance in exchange for a bribe. Guests found it extremely difficult to produce a noteable sound however hard they slammed their heads against the floor tiles without having first greased someone’s palm.

BED CHAMBER
The emperor’s bed was at the eastern end of the Warm Chamber.

The wooden platform-bed (3.5 m long), was hung with a gauze curtain in summer and a lined silk-satin curtain in winter.
Decorated with pennants, the interior curtain was hung with ornamental perfume sachets.
The chamber was warm in winter and cool in the summer. The floor was covered with woollen carpets and an underfloor heating system was fuelled by an outside wood fire. Charcoal burners were also used inside the room.

OBJECTS

Feeding his majesty

Another common misconception is that the emperor routinely feasted on lavish meals. His diet was balanced, but surprisingly plain. Both the Ming and Qing dynasties ate in accordance with the same principle: a diet must promote health.

The scale of infrastructure needed to provide food was immense. The imperial kitchen was composed of three parts: the main kitchen, tea kitchen and bakery. Each had a chef and five cooks, a supervisor and an accountant who procured and tracked supplies.

Menus always carried the cook’s name so that dishes could be easily reordered – and culprits could be identified if anything suspicious happened. Imperial recipes were essentially sophisticated versions of meals traditionally enjoyed by the common people.

SERVING MEALS AND PALACE CUSTOMS
Qing emperors made it their custom to eat meals alone except during special ceremonies, without even the pleasure of family for company. Although the Qianlong Emperor sometimes invited a consort to dinner, protocol dictated that all persons, except a dowager empress, had to stand in the emperor’s presence.The empress and imperial concubines took their meals in their own palaces. The emperor's diet mostly consisted of pork, mutton and game, fowl and vegetables. All the dishes were served with covers that were removed when the emperor took his seat at the table.

Menus were drawn up in advance for each meal and submitted to the inner court minister for approval. Every menu was archived.

THE TABLE SET
included enamel bowls, plates and dishes, blue and white jade sunflower tureens and gold and silver thread embroidered napkins

Beef was banned in the palace because it was considered a sin to consume animals that were beasts of burden.

Qing Dynasty emperors had two formal meals a day. These were served on gold dishes or special porcelain manufactured in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province. During the Qing Dynasty, emperors did not have a fixed place or time to take their meals. The emperor would inform his guards when he wished the meal to be served and would sit down to eat wherever he happened to be at that time of day.The kitchen officials ordered eunuchs to set whichever table was in the emperor’s vicinity the moment they were informed of the mealtime.

THE IMPERIAL KITCHEN
Located west of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the imperial kitchen had a director, deputy and assistant directors, manager, executive manager, and clerks to handle the emperor’s daily meals. In total, more than 200 officials, cooks and eunuchs were employed. The emperor’s meals were prepared separately from everybody else’s meals. The Director of the Eastern Depot cooked the meals during even months, with the Director of Ceremonial taking over during odd months.

POISON FEAR

HEALTHY HABITS
The Imperial kitchen adjusted the diet of the emperor according to the season. Lighter dishes were served in the summer with heavier, more nutritious meals in winter. It was believed that light food increased body fluids, while heavier meals created more vital energy.

On June 8, 1789, Qianlong took his breakfast in the Yihong Hall (Hall of Partial Rainbow) at a lacquer table. He was served:

On December 13, the emperor took his late meal in the eastern room of the Yangxin Hall. His meal included:

SOURCES OF FOOD SUPPLIES
All ingredients were supplied by the Palace Food Directorate and imperial kitchen. These agencies had a system for uninterrupted food supply, much of which came in the form of tributes from distant regions. More than a hundred eunuchs worked farms to supply lamb, geese, chickens and ducks, as well as running the wine office, which produced fermented soy wine. They also operated the imperial mill and vegetable garden. Fresh plums, loquats, bamboo shoots, tea, cassias, cherries preserved in honey, and fragrant rice were the main products delivered by refrigerated barges along the Grand Canal costing over 30,000 taels (US$375,000) a year.

The Qianlong Emperor usually took his tea with milk. Herds of cattle were maintained, with 100 cows kept in reserve to provide milk for the emperor. Spring water from Yuquan Shan was used for cooking and to make tea.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPECIALTIES
SENT TO THE PALACE

MEDICINAL FOOD
Qing Dynasty emperors ate food with medicinal properties. Many records from the Qing Palace archives still exist which mention the use of wines, juices, extracts, preserved fruits, and sugar as health-giving items.These foods were believed to stimulate the stomach, kidneys, and appetite; reduce internal heat; reduce phlegm; nourish the body; and prolong life.

According to the Qing dynasty statutes, Emperor Guangxu (reign 1875-1908) had an infirmary staff of 13 imperial physicians, 26 officials, 20 assistants and 30 doctors.

Dress codes

Garments have always reflected a culture’s social and historical evolution. Ancient Chinese rulers imposed strict codes in each era, which were usually linked to their ethnic traditions and identity. Each dynasty had stipulations for the material, colour, decorative patterns and style of dress that distinguished royal, civil and military officials from commoners. Anyone defying the dress code was severely punished. The Ming rulers (1368-1644), for example, forbade anyone to wear the Mongol attire of the previous dynasty. The Qing dynasty (1644-1911) imposed substantial changes in dress to reflect their Manchurian origins, which were met with strong resistance from the Han people

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MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)
The attire during this period reflects the loose fitting and elaborate style of the ancient ethnic Han people. Buttons became popular during the Ming dynasty, along with circular collars. Jackets became longer. Light colours were popular in the early era, with the front of garments decorated with accessories made from gold, jade and pearls. Men’s clothes adopted a form of chador and circular collar. Garments featured broad sleeves, inlaid black brims and cyan circular collars. Most were made of silk. Ming was the last dynasty in which men wore a skirt.

During this period, clothing for men and women became more voluminous: long robes with wide sleeves for men and a shorter robe worn over a wide skirt for women. For much of its three centuries, the Ming period featured great prosperity and the production of all manner of goods expanded.

CIVIL AND MILITAR FEATURES
Symbols of rank and office were mandatory in China since the Tang Dynasty, when the first, and only, female emperor of China, Emperor Wu Zetian, ordered all officials to wear embroidered gowns; birds were embroidered on the gowns of civil officials while military officials donned gowns decorated with beasts. The Ming dynasty continued the tradition, distinguishing types and ranks of officials with buzi – embroidered cloth – attached to the chest and back of gowns.

The Buzi (ornamental patches)
These striking-looking ornamental patches depicted all manner of real and mythical beasts. Of all the features on the uniforms of Chinese officials, the buzi most eloquently expresses the relationship between clothing and power. Cranes, golden pheasants, peacocks, wild geese, silver pheasants, egrets, larks and quails were used, as were exotic mythical birds that resembled a cross between an egret and a peacock on the civil officials buzis. The crane is a symbol of longevity because it has a long lifespan, with its white feathers standing for old age. The buzi used on military officials’ clothing depicted tigers, lions and panthers, as well as beasts from the outer reaches of an artist’s imagination. Animals were used to signify different ranks – nine ranks for civil and nine for military officials.

Civil officials samples

QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)
Clothing also played a relevant part in the life of the Qing emperors. Dress code in the palace signalled political hierarchies. One of the purposes of these rules was to observe ancestral Manchu traditions.During the Chong De period (1636-1643) the dress code was considered to be of fundamental importance to the stability of the country. Abahai (Qing Emperor Hong Taiji, reign 1626-1636), placed so much importance on equestrian prowess that he considered horsemanship and archery “two basic skills” of China. Riders and archers wore tighter-fitting suits.

THE DRAGON ROBE
The emperor’s most remarkable attire, in terms of ornamentation and symbolism was the Dragon robe – an auspicious garment reserved for festive occasions.

The dragon robe was not simply a means for the emperor to appear powerful: it was also meant to bring good luck to the people. An old Chinese proverb says that the reign of every emperor starts when he dons his new robes. The imperial robes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) lent legitimacy to this proverb.

It required two and a half years for court tailors to make it. A palace shop was reserved for tailoring the emperor’s clothes. The patterns and cuts were developed subject to approval from the emperor and the highest ranking officials.

The patterns were then passed on to the silk manufacturers. When the fabric was ready, it was cut by an artisan before the tailor received it and began the embroidery. Only the finest threads were used for the embroidery, with some made from gold. Five hundred artisans contributed to the stitching and another 40 were required for the gold embroidery.

The robe is tight fitting with sleeves tapering into flared cuffs that resemble the hoofs of a horse – a reference to the Manchu equestrian background.

A dragon is the dominant motif, with four dragons surrounding the neck symbolising the main directions of the universe, and four on the front and back of the skirt indicating the midway directions of the universe.

Another motif applied to the emperor’s robes was a red bat, the symbol of happiness. The Chinese word for bat sounds identical to the word for good fortune

The robe included a series of symbols, such as large dragons on the chest and back and small dragons on the shoulders and skirt. Apart from auspicious symbols, the dress featured mountains and waves.

The colour at the bottom of the robe indicated rank and lineage, with yellow restricted to the emperor.

A SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF THE UNIVERSE

“The lower border of diagonal bands and rounded billows represent water. At the four axes of the coat, the cardinal points: rise prism shaped rocks symbolizing the earth mountain. Above is the cloud-filled firmament against with dragons, (symbol of imperial authority) coil and twist. The symbolism is complete only when the coat is worn, the human body becomes the world axis, the neck opening, the gate of heaven or apex of the universe, separates the material world of the coat from the realm of the spiritual represented by the wearer’s head”

– John E Vollmer, curator and scholar of Asian art, textiles, costumes and design. He is the author of 30 museum exhibition catalogs and multiple books and articles.

FURTHER READING
This is the third chapter exploring the life in the Palace Museum

We would like to invite readers to navigate between the chapters as they are published. Other visual narratives will investigate daily life in the palace and follow the odyssey undergone by the royal collection. We hope you enjoy immersing yourself in the project much as we did making it for you

Life inside the Forbidden City

CHAPTER 1

Life inside the Forbidden City: how women were selected for service

Concubines

Selecting partners

CULTURE

Palace servants

The Qing Palace Maids

Royal princesess

Women in the imperial family

Life inside the Forbidden City

chapter 2

How an army of eunuchs ran the Forbidden City

History and facts

A 2,000 year system

Labour

Duties and influence

CULTURE

chapter 3

In the Forbidden City, being the emperor didn’t equate to a life of limitless power or pleasure

Daily duties

Feeding his majesty

Dress codes

CULTURE

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