A True Record of Life in the Qing Dynasty (Highly Recommended by Ma Boyong!)

Palace dramas tell you that the imperial consorts never stop fighting for power, that the emperor can take no more than three bites of any dish, and that members of the Bordered Yellow Banner can throw their weight around as the true imperial lineage… Do you really believe these tropes? In fact, we’ve been fooled by television all along. The real Qing dynasty was far beyond anything we could imagine!

When imperial consorts attended the emperor at night, they didn’t strip naked and get wrapped in a blanket. Instead, they gathered in the rear hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and waited for the emperor to choose a name card.

Qing dynasty consorts didn’t call themselves “Your Concubine” or “This Palace.” When speaking to the emperor or empress dowager, they generally referred to themselves as “this servant.”

The emperor wasn’t afraid to let people know what he liked to eat. Take a look at the Imperial Kitchen’s food records: Qianlong didn’t like seafood, while Guangxu was a true seafood lover!

This book explores everyday life in the Qing dynasty across seven sections, covering language, commerce, architecture, transportation, the Eight Banners, life in the imperial harem, clothing, marriage, food, and much more. Drawing on especially rigorous historical research, it recreates Qing daily life in all its fascinating detail!