China --June 2004 Galleries

Summer Palace : The Summer Palace has a history of over 800 years. Early in the Jin dynasty, an imperial palace named Golden Hill Palace was built on the present site of the Summer Palace. In 1750,with 4.48 million taels of silver, Emperor Qian Long of the Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples here and renamed the hill Longevity Hill to celebrate his mother's birthday. In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing and set fire to the garden. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi, with funds embezzled from the Imperial Navy, restored the grand garden. The construction had lasted for ten year and after completion, she renamed it Yiheyuan - Garden of Peace and Harmony. In 1900, the garden was plundered again by the eight powers. This time, nearly all big temples and halls at the back of the Longevity Hill were destroyed and only one survived. Only when the fugitive Cixi returned to Beijing in 1903, did the full-scale restoration begin. Mainly consists of Longevity Hill (which can be divided into Front Hill and Rear Hill) and Kunming Lake, both man made, this present Summer Palace covers a vast area of 294 hectares. Nowadays the palace is always crowded with tourists. Taking a good photo in the palace is a challenge. The view of the palace from the Kunming Lake is often contaminated by smog, and the sky, like everywhere else in more developed cities in China, is gray rather than blue on sunny days. I was told by friends that the best time to visit the Summer Palace (and all other tourist attractions in Beijing) is the fall, when the weather is cool and the skies are often blue.

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace has a history of over 800 years. Early in the Jin dynasty, an imperial palace named Golden Hill Palace was built on the present site of the Summer Palace. In 1750,with 4.48 million taels of silver, Emperor Qian Long of the Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples here and renamed the hill Longevity Hill to celebrat ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2004 8:51am PST

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui : When we speak of Anhui, most people will surely mention the Yellow Mountains first. Its natural beauty impresses the tourists deeply. (See my photos.) However, if you take special notice of the ancient villages nearby, you will be pleasantly surprised with the dreamland villages - Xidi and Hongcun. Located at Yixian County Anhui Province, Xidi and Hongcun have about 400-500 years of history (although parts of them went back to about 1000 years). The original residential style and features of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were preserved perfectly. Reputed as "A Living Ancient Residential Museum" by experts and tourists at home and from abroad, they were listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 2000. My parents were both born in Southern Anhui. Villages such as Xidi and Hongcun are everywhere in Southern Anhui, but none are quite as well preserved as these two. Interestingly, everyone in Hongcun have the same surname "Wang," which is my surname (it means "water" and differs from the more common "Wang", which means "king.")

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui

When we speak of Anhui, most people will surely mention the Yellow Mountains first. Its natural beauty impresses the tourists deeply. (See my photos.) However, if you take special notice of the ancient villages nearby, you will be pleasantly surprised with the dreamland villages - Xidi and Hongcun. Located at Yixian County Anhui Prov ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2004 2:06pm PST

Hangzhou June 2004 : Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and with the renowned Xi Hu (West Lake), has long been considered one of the most beautiful cities in China. However, in recent years the city seems to be perpetually covered in smog , like most cities in China today, as a result of pollution. The Xi Hu I saw was far from the prestine and beautiful lake I had read in books. I guess much of the old beauties of Xi Hu was ravaged by the Cultural Revolution, the new industrialization and mis-management by the city leaders.

Hangzhou June 2004

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and with the renowned Xi Hu (West Lake), has long been considered one of the most beautiful cities in China. However, in recent years the city seems to be perpetually covered in smog , like most cities in China today, as a result of pollution. The Xi Hu I saw was far from the prestine and beauti ...

Updated: Aug 01, 2004 8:57pm PST