The Front and Back Sides of the Qing Imperial Harem

Here are straightforward answers to the questions you may have had while watching historical dramas:

Was Zhen Huan a real person?

Was an emperor’s power in the harem as brutal as it was in the outer court?

Was Yongzheng a romantic or a diligent ruler? And more...

You’ll also find stories from the Qing imperial harem that you won’t learn in history textbooks: Kangxi as an actor, Qianlong’s secrets to longevity, Zhen Huan’s “cheating,” and Cixi’s fear of her daughter...

The same harem, with a very different character. Hear Li Yin, an expert on Qing court history and director of the Qing Eastern Mausoleums Cultural Relics Management Office, explain both the public and private sides of the Great Qing harem.