"This illustrated book brings together some of China's most priceless national treasures, the magnificent legacy of Qianlong's lifestyle, connoisseurship, and patronage, which gathered calligraphy and paintings, ceramics and bronzes, bamboo and jade carving, lacquerwork and enamelwork within its scope. Many of these artifacts - from what was then the richest empire in the world - have never before been published. Taking as its focus the personal and public life of the emperor and his court, Splendors of China's Forbidden City also pictures the challenges inherent in ruling such a diverse nation, and how Qianlong met those challenges, not least by establishing standards of religious ceremony and court practice, and enforcing codes of dress and adornment." "In Splendors of China's Forbidden City the story of one of China's most outstanding emperors is vividly evoked using original texts and artifacts. Offering an imprecedented insights into one of the most glittering courts in world history, this groundbreaking study is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Chinese culture."--BOOK JACKET.