All photos enlarge with a single click, do enjoy them.
This palace was built by the Emperor for his mother.
It took 15 years to complete and was started in 1750.
No wonder it took so long, the lake was dug out and
heaped up to form the Longevity Hill topped by a temple.
He wanted his mother to have the best of everything so ,
Beijing being on a plain, he gave her a lake and a mountain.
Being a potter, I was intrigued by the vast numbers of
glazed green and yellow tiles and figurines used in the
construction.
The summer Palace is ranked among the most noted
classical gardens of the world, 726 acres of splendour
including within it the garden of Harmony, a truly
wonderfully peaceful place.
Just one of the colourful yet subdued courtyards.
The buildings feature a great deal of marble, in carved
balustrades, steps and courtyard flooring. Without
tourists it has an intrigueing atmosphere of both
splendour and peaceful wellbeing. Everywhere covered
walkways shield you from the elements. Before air-pollution
it must have been a delight of splendid reflections in the lake.
Looking down from a little way up the hill, the marble ship
is always in the right place for a perfect composition, being
built upon the bottom of the lake.
Please excuse the quality of the photos, they were taken with
a little pre-historic digital camera which was all I could carry
before my aortic valve replacement.
This magical place, and please do enlarge it, is a scaled
down version of Shanghai. The Empress having heard of
the beauty of it, wished to see it. Shanghai was too far
away for her to travel there so the Emperor had it brought
to her. A bit like Mohammed and the mountain.
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To Klaus and his diligent Team who contend so well with
Mr.Linky's tantrums, my sincere appreciation for hanging in there!
30 comments:
Oh, your photos brought back so many wonderful memories of my tour of the Summer Palace in Beijing! And your descriptions are so apt. Thanks!
Wonderful shots! Thank you for a stroll around this beautiful place. Have a great week, Arija :)
Its amazing to see interesting architecture like this and to know there was no such thing as heavy costruction equipment when it was built. Every thing was done by man or animal power.
I have always been fascinated with Chinese Art and Architecture. We see those familiar structures here in the Gardens. The farthest I have visited is Kwangtong (Canton) Province, my father's birthplace. I've seen those miniature cities in Shenzhen during the film camera days.
We didn't do any wine tasting..so the road was safe with me driving...(giggles)
Take care.
Beautiful photos Arija. You did very well with your camera. Nothing wrong with those pictures. The colours are beautiful and I guess you would find them even more interesting when you are involved in pottery yourself.
On my blog....yes I do pay for the privilege of going through those exercises, but they really do make me feel good and it's enjoyable to do them in a small group together with others. :-)
Arija: Very nice photos from you China trip, thanks so much for sharing.
Amazing pictures.This place looks magical.
Blessings,Ruth
Great shots from Beijing!
I hope o be there some day.
What fabulous shots! Thank you so much for the tour of a truly lovely place. Thanks as always, Arija, for sharing the beauty!
What an amazing place to visit. Even with an old camrera you've captured the fine detail and color. Pretty good sized lake. Love the idea of the permanently anchored marble boat. I can't imagine someone building that for me. Great post.
Beautiful Chinese World. Great shots.
What a wonderful tour of an exquisite place. Beautiful shots!
Arija, what a wonderful post and what a beautiful and peaceful place. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful place with us. The photos are great.
Blessings and smiles
I did enjoy this wonderful journey so much, Arija. Your photos are beautiful as is the all the amazing architecture.
Thanks for visiting, have a delightful day.
The photos are beautiful. Look what one can do when one has taste... and unlimited money. What a memorable trip.
What a special place. Another place I've always wanted to visit. I'm afraid the air is too poluted for me. Thanks for letting me visit through your travels.
Thanks for the lovely tour..really loved it....Thanks for sharing..Great
Your photos are wonderful.
A great post. The miniature Shnaghai was really beautiful by that pond.
thank you for sharing this little seen world
Very beautiful shot. I visited Beijing twice and been to the summer palace twice too. The first time I went was in 1986 and then in 2002. The only difference was that the are smarter now...lol. I remember spending only S$100 in 1986 (nothing to shop back then) but 2002 I spend almost a thousand....lol
Beautiful photos!
Fantastic scenery and I love those houses and roofs, they sure have caracter. The peacefulness is showing.
Beautiful ! I have never been to China but have seen quite a lot on TV !
Wow, that miniature Shanghai is fantastic!
Thanks for your comment on my green tomatoes post!
Thank you for posting these pictures and bringing back memories of this beautiful place. I've been fortunate enough to visit the Summer Palace three times, and I never get tired of soaking in it's beauty
These are wonderful shots. What an amazing trip that must have been. It's such a totally different world than the one I'm used to.
That must have been an amazing trip! Great photos!
Arija, what fabulous photos. I hope you're going to share more from what looks to be a fabulous trip.
What a wonderful and informative post. Your photos are great. And your trip must have been unforgettable. Thanks for sharing!
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