Urban Impression

[xoxoxoBruce]

I see one picture of three guys that I don't know.

[Ibby]

My Olympus DSLR will be here sometime next week, so... Expect me to start taking a lot more pictures soon. Including pictures around Taipei, obviously. If they're any good, they're going here. Kay?

[Billy]

I happended to see that foreigners had the Chinese style wedding.

[Billy]

The wedding is the beginning of marriage.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thanks Billy, are all the people part of the wedding or are some of them just crossing the street at the same time?

[Beestie]

Hey, welcome back Billy. Tell your boss that you need to spend more time on the Cellar or your Qi is going to get all messed up. Works for me, anyway.

Great pics as always.

Oh, and if you ever happen by Honk Kong let me know. I need you to find somebody and smack 'em upside the head for me.

[kerosene]

Thank you, Billy. I love seeing your pictures.

[Clodfobble]

Are the bride and groom in any of those pictures?

[lizzymahoney]

I'd bet he's the one in the third picture smiling at the camera. Westerner with yellow robe and red sash with big bow.

The red conveyance would be holding her, then. So she's not visible.

Where in China is this?

[Billy]

Originally Posted by lizzymahoney

I'd bet he's the one in the third picture smiling at the camera. Westerner with yellow robe and red sash with big bow.

The red conveyance would be holding her, then. So she's not visible.

Where in China is this?

You are right. The bride was in the sedan chair and groom was guy with red flower.

It was taken in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.

[skysidhe]

[skysidhe]

[Billy]

With the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park to its east, Zhong Nan Hai (Central and South Seas) to its south, Beihai (North Sea) Park is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved ancient imperial gardens in China located in the center of Beijing. This ancient garden, with over 1,000 years' history, is not only a classic combination of the grandiosity of the northern gardens and the refinement of the southern gardens in China, but also a perfect integration of magnificent imperial palaces and solemn religious constructions.

[Billy]

Beihai Park is said to be built according to a traditional Chinese legend. The story is that once upon a time there were three magic mountains called 'Penglai', 'Yingzhou' and 'Fangzhang' located to the east of Bohai Bay (to the east of China). Gods in those mountains had a kind of herbal medicine which would help humans gain immortality.

Consequently, many emperors in the feudal age of China constantly sought those mountains. For example, Emperor Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 B.C.), wanted to live an eternal life and had sent people to look for the magic mountains but they failed. Then at his palace, he dug a large pool and piled up three earth hills in it to imitate the circumstances described in the legend. Emperor Wudi, the fifth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C. - 8 A.D.) did similar things.

It was believed that different mountain-water combinations in ancient Chinese architecture led to totally different effects. So from then on, almost every emperor during the succeeding dynasties would build a royal garden with one-pool-with-three-hills' layout as a fairyland near his palace. Beihai Park was surely built after this traditional style: the water of Beihai (North Sea) with Zhong Nan Hai (Central and South Seas) is the Taiye Pool; the Jade Flowery (Qionghua) Islet, the island of the Circular City and the Xishantai Island represent the three magic mountains.

Actually, Beihai Park was initially built in the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125) and was repaired and rebuilt in the following dynasties including Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing (1115 - 1911). The large-scale rebuilding in the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) generally established the present scale and pattern of Beihai Park. In 1925, the park was first opened to the public, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.

[Billy]

On top of the Jade Flowery Islet, the White Dagoba was built in 1651 on the former site of the Palace in the Moon where Kublai Khan received Marco Polo. At the suggestion of a famous Tibetan lama, Emperor Shunzhi, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty agreed to build such a Tibetan dagoba to show his belief in Buddhism and his desire for the unification among various Chinese ethnic groups. The White Dagoba was destroyed in an earthquake and reconstructed twice. Now, resting on a huge stone base, it stands 35.9 meters (about 118 feet) high and is capped by two bronze umbrella-like canopies, with 14 bronze bells hanging around them. Inside, the dagoba holds the Buddhist Scriptures, the monk's mantle and alms bowl and two pieces of Sarira. Since the White Dagoba is the highest point in Beihai Park, it served as a vantage point with a beautiful view of the whole park.

In front of the White Dagoba is the White Dagoba Temple. There are several other buildings and halls you could visit if you have enough time. These include Zhengjue Hall, the Bell and Drum Towers, the Stone Tablets of 'Qiongdao Chunyin' (means the beautiful scenery of the Jade Flowery Islet in spring; inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty) etc, all scattered on the slope of the Qionghua Islet.