Fact: the Forbidden City is awesome. (Note: this is not one of our five fascinating Forbidden City facts). But seriously, when you start to dig a little deeper into the history of China’s most important Imperial institution, it really starts to astonish. We asked out team of expert guides and local personalities to share their favourite fascinating tidbits.
1. The emperor had a royal armpit sniffer.
In the dark days before deodorant, in order to ensure that the emperor’s concubines met their master in tiptop condition, it was one hapless eunuch’s job to check the hygiene of his consorts beforehand. It’s a dirty job, but…
