For nearly 500 years, China’s Imperial Palace, known by most as the Forbidden City, generated hushed conversations fed by rumors of mystery and intrigue based on the ceremony and ritual that surrounded the Emperor and his family and the cloistered lives they led. Some of the most compelling secrets will be revealed through the craftsmanship and genius of the thousands of anonymous artisans who lived their lives serving the Imperial Court, and from the ornate gifts bestowed upon the royal families of the Qing Dynasty from the 17th to the 20th century.

The emperors of the Qing Dynasty were the last to rule China, ending in 1911 with Emperor Xuantong (Puyi), whose life was chronicled in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Academy Award-winning film, The Last Emperor. Several of Puyi’s favorite items featured in the film--his bicycle, a music box and a cricket cage--will be included in Secret World of the Forbidden City.

Exhibition visitors will experience China's Imperial life in each of these areas:

• Affairs of State: The Throne Room
• The Emperor as a Scholar: The Study Room
• The Imperial Dining Room
• The Emperor’s Bedroom
• Imperial Dress
• Religion in the Forbidden City
• Arms and Armor of the Emperor
• The Emperor at Leisure

Among the rare objects on view will be formal imperial portraits on silk of the emperors, empresses and concubines, ornately embroidered robes and custom clothing, sumptuous jewelry and adornments, writing tools, ceremonial furniture, superb ceramics and dishes, and photographs. Also on view will be a complete throne room ensemble.

Exhibition hours for Secret World of the Forbidden City are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 12 Noon to 5pm; Thursday, 12 Noon to 9pm; Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm.  (Note: The exhibition opens at 10am on December 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 and January 2, 3, 4.)  The exhibition is closed Mondays and major holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day.  The exhibition is open on the Friday after Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve (Monday, December 31) from 10am to 5pm.

Over 25,000 children with pre-scheduled school tours will visit the exhibition on Mondays and before the exhibition opens Tuesday through Friday.

The Palace Bazaar, a special satellite store featuring a variety of exhibition-related merchandise, will be open during exhibition hours.

Major support for the Arizona showing of Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors from China’s Imperial Palace is provided by APS.  Additional support is provided by Avnet, the Museum’s Asian Arts Council, GFWC-Desert Jade Woman’s Club, Chinese Restaurant Association of Arizona and J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation.  Promotional support is provided by KPNX-TV Channel 12, The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com, Cities West Publishing, Dillard’s, and KJZZ/KBAQ.

As a companion to the exhibition, Phoenix Art Museum will be showing in the Art of Asia Galleries the many stunning items from the Qing Dynasty it holds in its collection, along with Imperial paintings from the Roy and Marilyn Papp collection. Additionally, the Museum will offer a full schedule of public programs, lectures and Family Sundays related to Secret World of the Forbidden City.

Timed and dated tickets for Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors from China’s Imperial Palace are on sale to the general public now. Advance purchase is strongly recommended for the exhibition which features more than 300 rare objects that explore daily life inside the secret, mysterious Imperial Palace during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).

Most of the pieces in the exhibition have been kept in Palace vaults and have never been seen in the United States or China. The exhibition, which offers a remarkable glimpse into the daily lives of the emperors, empresses, concubines, court officials, eunuchs and maid servants who lived and died inside the Forbidden City, will run from November 10, 2001 through April 7, 2002.

Tickets will be available for $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-17, and free for Museum members and children under age 6. Tickets will be for timed and dated entry and include a bilingual (English and Spanish) audioguide and general admission to the rest of the Museum.

Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and in person at the Museum.  Coupons and special offers are not valid for this exhibition.

For ticketing information, call Ticketmaster.  For more information about the exhibition, visit the Museum’s web site or call the 24-hour information line at (602) 257-1222.