Page 45 - A History of the World in 25 Cities
P. 45
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Size of Imperial City:
The northern part of the Forbidden City was for the imperial family – and
it was a very big family. As well as his principal wife, the Empress Xi, the emperor had many other wives, who also lived in the palace. Once these women had entered the Forbidden City, it was very rare for them to leave. Only the emperor could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. All the emperor’s children were known as ‘children of the empress’, whether their mother was the empress or one of the other wives, and there could be bitter competition among the sons to be named the next emperor. As in many other ruling families all over the world, only boys could grow up to rule China.
Number of emperors who lived in the Forbidden City:
24
Population of Beijing in the 1400s:
The Ming dynasty lasted until 1644, when forces from the North came from beyond the Great Wall
of China and seized Beijing, and the Qing dynasty began. Today, 600
5OO
years after the Forbidden City was built, and 100 years after China’s last emperor, Beijing is still the capital city
of China. Modern skyscrapers tower over temples, palaces and gardens
many centuries old, and the Forbidden City is now a museum, open to everyone.
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217
Population of Beijing today:
