"A Forbidden City tells half of Chinese history." This book takes the six hundred year history of the Forbidden City as a clue, tells stories built around the Forbidden City, and represents stories of the emperors, generals and ministers of state, the concubines, even the bodyguards, eunuchs, imperial doctors, and other people on the historical stage of the Forbidden City. There are not only well-known historical events but also secret histories of the palace, with more than 500 historical figures vividly interpreting the vicissitudes of life in the book.

The famous historian Yan Chongnian, with his unique vision, selects the most representative historical stories and integrates the events of the changeable Forbidden City of six hundred years into the book. He uses popular and witty diction, combined with his life experience of more than eighty years, to make serious history no longer boring and difficult to understand, so that official history can also be lively and interesting. This is a popularizing history book suitable for readers of all ages. They can better understand the Forbidden City in the palace world built by Yan Chongnian, appreciate the splendid history of Chinese civilization, and develop new insights into life.