The kind of history deserving of a cinematic blockbuster Julia Lovell, Literary Review[A] gripping and meticulously researched account of an epic effort to transport delicate scrolls, paintings and carvings thousands of miles under the threat of bombing and invasion Rana Mitter, Times Literary SupplementBrilliant and thrilling... A tale of daring and adventure... A desperate race against time Paul French, South China Morning PostThe gripping true story of the intrepid curators who saved Chinas finest art from the ravages of the SinoJapanese War and World War II.Spring 1933. The silent courtyards and palaces of Pekings Forbidden City are tense with fear and expectation. Japans aircraft drone overhead its troops and tanks are only hours away. Allout war between China and Japan is coming, and the curators of the Forbidden City are faced with an impossible question how will they protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge?The magnificent collections contain a million pieces of art objects that carry Chinas deepest and most ancient memories. Among them are irreplaceable artefacts exquisite paintings on silk, vanishingly rare Ming porcelain and the extraordinary Stone Drums of Qin, which are adorned with 2,500yearold inscriptions of crucial cultural significance.For sixteen terrifying years, under the quiet leadership of museum director Ma Heng, the curators would go on to transport the imperial art collections thousands of miles across China up rivers of white...

Binding: Hardback;384 pages; Publisher: TBS-Penguin Random House Wholesale; Classification: ACBP; Weight: 738 g; Dimensions: 164 x 241 x 38

Something not quite right? You have 28 days from the day you receive it, to send something back.

Please note, we cannot offer refunds on fashion face masks, cosmetics, pierced jewellery, adult toys, and swimwear or lingerie if the hygiene seal is not in place or has been broken.

Items of footwear and/or clothing must be unworn and unwashed with the original labels attached. Also, footwear must be tried on indoors. Items of homeware including bedlinen, mattresses, and toppers, and pillows must be unused and in their original unopened packaging. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Click here to view our full Returns Policy.