Written by Trish Marx
Photographs by Ellen B. Senisi
Interest Level: Grades 4-7
Reading Level: 7+
This book tells the story of some of the emperors, princesses and even a royal elephant who lived in the Forbidden City during a five hundred year period. Readers learn Emperor Yongle commissioned the Forbidden City and was its first inhabitant. According to Chinese beliefs, the emperor was not only the ruler of China, but also a religious leader and the one who could ask for blessings from the heavens for the people of China. In building the Forbidden City, Yongle was providing an outward sign of this supreme power.
Each chapter begins with an anecdotal account of the person it is about and then provides historical details in the following pages. In the following pages we learn impressive details about the city, including how many buildings it has (980!), how funeral ceremonies proceeded and how you can still see traces of those rituals in China today, and other details of daily life within the city's walls.
One of the strengths of the book is its extensive use of photos taken in the Forbidden City as well as reproductions of artwork depicting daily life in the time of the emperors. The writing conveys the sense of supremeness commanded by the emperors and provides enough interesting detail to keep the reader interested. There is a timeline of each emperor's reign, a glossary and a bibliography at the back of the book. Unfortunately, there is no index or table of contents making this book less than useful for those doing reports since the entire book must be read to find desired facts. This book would be useful as an additional resource in the classroom.
Marx, T. (2008). Elephants and golden thrones: inside China's Forbidden City. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.
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