Beijing’s Forbidden City is an icon of the Chinese Empire and modern China’s greatest tourist attraction. Once the centre of the world, the Forbidden City bore witness to the magnificent display of imperial power, grandiose triumphs and ultimately to humiliating demise. Being the seat of two great dynasties and 24 Emperors, it also bore witness to a seedier element of Chinese imperial life: the concubine.

In Imperial China, the concubine was a regular feature of daily existence. The average economically successful man would have several concubines, while the Chinese Emperors would often acquire thousands. For the Emperors, the concubines were kept with them in the Forbidden City. Indeed, the concubine became such a piecemeal of Chinese regal life that by the Qing dynasty, it was estimated around 20,000 concubines lived in the Forbidden City.

Their roles would vary from pseudo-wives to poorly-treated prostitutes, depending on how much they endeared themselves to the Emperor. During their time within the red walls, they served a dual purpose: to raise the chances of the Emperor having an heir and to provide limitless opportunities for the Emperor to indulge his sexual desires.

In the second part of this docudrama we use the latest evidence to explore this fascinating world and in so doing, shed further light on the reality of life behind these impenetrable walls.

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