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.
For other wonders of the world, click on the Logo.
To Klaus and his diligent Team who contend so well with
Mr.Linky's tantrums, my sincere appreciation for hanging in there!
