Secrets of the Chinese Palace in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Northeast Singapore for sale

Secrets of The Chinese Palace
Extracts from the "Secrets of The Chinese Palace"
The Emperor's Diet
During the Sang Dynasty, there were very strict customs regarding food rank. Each day the son of heaven ate three meals and the menu typically included six grains, six meats, six drinks, 120 delicacies and eight rarities. When the son of heaven ate, musicians played to stimulate his appetite. Food doctors also came to select medicinal food for the son of heaven.
Before the emperor ate, the eunuchs would test the emperor's food with silk utensils and taste a few mouthfuls to guard against poisoning. It was only when they were sure that there was nothing irregular that the emperor would start eating. Standing to one side , the eunuch who served the food would watch the emperor's eye and if the emperor looked at any dish would quickly take it to the emperor's side.
The Qing Palace had a rule that "food shall not exceed three mouthfuls", which is to say that the emperor would not eat more than three mouthfuls of any food. The purpose of this was to stop people from poisoning his food. In addition , it was to safeguard the emperor against indigestion and becoming partial to certain food.
Thus when the emperor ate, although there were abundant delicious available, he could only eat a little of the food he really liked and his meal could not be enjoyed to the fullest. The emperor usually ate by himself, and although he could summon a wife, prince or princess to eat with him, he would focus strictly on the meal while eating, unlike a commoner who could happily eat with his family, talking and laughing at the same time. After the emperor had eaten, the leftover food would be given to the concubines and ministers.
Following the meal, the emperor would gargle , drink tea and eat fruit and the eunuch in charge would hand over the cards for the officials requesting an audience , letting the emperor decide who to meet. After finishing tea, the emperor would change clothes and prepare to meet the minister.
Education in the Imperial Palace
The education of the imperial children of the Qing Dynasty ranks as perhaps the strictest in Chinese history. When the sons of the emperor were six, thy went to the upper library to study. The upper library was specially built as the school of the imperial sons, its location close to the emperor's living quarters to make it convenient for the emperor to oversee what was happening whenever he wished.
The sons of the emperor would go to the upper library early in the morning and would study until the afternoon. While studying , their clothing would have to be neat , their actions proper and the children would have to show respect to their teacher..
The imperial sons were not allowed to take holiday from study whenever they wished. Holiday for the children were very rare and on only a few special occasion each year could the children take a day of school. These occasion were New Year, the Emperor's birthday, Dragon boat festival, Mid-Autumn festival and on the student's own birthday.
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