All women living in the Forbidden City were carefully sequestered in the imperial quarters deep inside the palace ... but there was also a select group of concubines whose task was to bear ...

had the residences of the emperor and his family as well as the harem where his concubines were kept. It was difficult for an ordinary male to enter the Forbidden City, said Chen Shen, the curator ...

Imagine the soft tread of concubines ... We're in the Forbidden City, which fronts onto Tianamen Square in the heart of Beijing. Since its completion in 1420, it's been home to 24 emperors ...