Urban Impression

[Billy]

Shell-like carving

[Billy]

Fangwaiguan (Belvedere)

Fangwaiguan was a two-storied European palace. Built in 1759, it faced south, sitting to the east of Xieqiqu. Outside, a pair of the second floor to the ground. The ceilings and walls on the two floors were covered with a Western-style landscape painting. On the eastern and western walls of the second floor hung four glass screens, each holding a figure painting on silk painted by J.Denis Attiret. There were three rooms on the first floor. In the central room stood a large mirror, on a wall in the west room hung a Western-style tapestry with patterns designed by Giussepe Castiglione; in the east room stood a Western-style mirror, reflecting the Dragon-Phoenix Fountain outside. It is said that this building used to be the place of worship for a Uygur concubine in favor with Emperor Qianlong. There were also a pair of round, white marble tablets, both 1.3m in diameter, bearing inscriptions in Arabic, one saying: Ottoman loves Allah, and allah loves Ottoman; and the other: Ali loves Allah, and Allah loves Ali. The tablets disappeared, leaving only photographs taken early in this century. Beyond the bridge in the southeast of Fangwaiguan was a Western-style octagonal pavilion.

The Labyrinth

Located to the north of Xieqiqu, the Labyrinth was an imitation of a Eupopean-style maze. In the center was a high, round-based Western-style pavilion, surrounded by layers of 1.2m-high brick walls that formed rectangles. The Labyrinth stretched 89m from north to south, 59m from east to west, the length of its walls totaling over 1,6000m. It was said that the emperor used to hold a lantern party in the Labyrinth on the evening of the Mid-autumn Festival (the 15th day of the eighth Chinese lunar month). The palace maids would run between the walls, carrying lotus lanterns made of yellow silk-the first to reach the pavilion in the center would get an award from the emperor. Thus the Labyrinth was also known as "Garden of Yellow Flowers." The Labyrinth was restored in 1989, with the pavilion built of white marble.

[Billy]

Xieqiqu (Harmonious Wonder)

Located in the southwest corner of Xiyanglou, Xieqiqu was an architectural group with the first European-style fountain. The main building had three stories, with three rooms on the top floor, and seven on each of the lower two floor, and seven on each of the lower two floors. It was connected by a pair of curving verandahs at both sides with twin tow-storied octagonal buildings in front, which served as orchestras. To the south was a large fountain in the shape of a flowering Chinese crabapple, with bronze water jets in the shapes of rams and ducks, and Western-style stone fish. To the north of the main building was a small fountain in the shape of a chrysanthemum. The fountains were fed from the Water Pavilion (a water tower) to the northwest of Xieqiqu, where water was drawn up by a mule-drawn waterwheel to the cistern at the top of the pavilion and flowed down through a copper pipe to the jets.

[Billy]

Some of the remains of the stone sculptures in Xieqiqu

[Happy Monkey]

Wow, that is some gorgeous stonework.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Billy

All the park was destroyed by the American and English United Army in 1860. So it is a ruin park today.

No Americans, Billy.

In 1860, during the Second Opium War, the British and French expeditionary forces looted the Old Summer Palace. Later, on October 18 1860, the British general Lord Elgin - with protestations from the French (who in fact began the looting) - purposely ordered to set fire to the huge complex which burned to the ground. It took 3,500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze and took three whole days to burn. More than 300 eunuchs and palace maids were burned to death. Elgin intended the destruction of the palace as a way to punish the Emperor and the Qing Government, in retaliation for the imprisonment, torture, and murder of over 20 western prisoners of war, among them two British envoys who had been under protection of a flag of truce and a correspondent for The Times. It is believed that some died by the death by a thousand cuts . The burning of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still a very sensitive issue in China today.

[Happy Monkey]

Lord Elgin, as in the Elgin Marbles? Man, he cut a swath through foreign stonework, didn't he?

[Billy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

No Americans, Billy.

On the introduction in the park, I heard American force also joined the robbery.

[Ibby]

No offence, billy, but that's exactly the kind of thing they would tell you.

[Beestie]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Thanks Billy,Those are great.

Hey Beestie, Can you tell me who keeps calling and hanging up without leaving a message? Thx.

Absoutely. I asked my sources over in NSA since they are all set up to eavesdrop and trace but they were too busy recording 5exChat so I called my go to guy over in the Department of [CODE 7 - Beestie - report to my office NOW and bring your keys and access cards - BIGBOY] who takes care of *cough* those types of things.

Apparently, its some guy in Georgia who's been looking for you for quite a while. I'll have more info later but its the guy who made the first post on this site.

[BigV]

SCF, please. This isn't my monitor.

Very, very funnyfunnyfunny, Beestie. As usual. : props:

[footfootfoot]

Ha! I Love it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Billy

On the introduction in the park, I heard American force also joined the robbery.

I checked several sites in China and can't find any mention of Americans until the 1908 "Boxer Rebellion", in relation to Yuanmingyuan Park.

The force destroyed our building, cluture and history.

Just the building(s), Billy. The great, long history of China can not be destroyed, neither can the culture, although we had a hand in making some history and altering the culture a little.

Outsiders can't take away your culture....only Chinese can do that.

[Billy]

One friend of mine sent the photos. I am not sure if I can post in this thread, but I want to share with you guys.

As one of the five best-known mountains in China, Mt. Huashan is located to the south of Huayin city, 120 kilometers east of Xian, in Shaanxi province, with an elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. In ancient times, Mt. Huashan was called Mt. Taihuashan. Seen from afar, the five peaks looks like five petals of a flower. Hence its name, Mt. Huashan (= five flowers). Today, it is listed as one of the renowned national scenic spots.

Mt. Huashan is famous for its breath-taking cliffs. Along the 12-kilometer-long winding path up to the top are awe-inspiring precipices, looking into which will take your breath away. Among the five peaks, East Peak (Facing Sun Peak), West Peak (Lotus Peak) and South Peak (Dropping Goose Peak) are comparatively high. Standing at the top of East Peak, one can enjoy the rising sun early in the morning. West Peak, in resemblance to a lotus flower, is the most graceful peak in Mt. Huashan. In addition, there are Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak) and North Peak (Clouds Stand). The middle peak got its name because of a story telling that once a young lady rode a white horse among the mountains. North Peak, like a flat platform in the clouds, is the place where the story Capturing Mt. Huashan Wisely took place.

Mt. Huashan boasts a lot of places of interest. Here and there stand Buddhist and Taoist temples, pavilions and buildings as well as sculptures and engravings. Of the ruins, Yuquan (Jade Spring), Zhenwu Palace, and Jintian Palace are, comparatively speaking, famous. Xiyue Temple, seven kilometers north of Mt. Huashan is the place where people of ancient times paid tribute to the Mt. Huashan God.

[Billy]

Along the cliff of South Peak is a planked path equipped with an iron chain, with the help of which, adventurers can walk on the frightful path. There is a giant rock in front of Cuiyun Palace on West Peak. As it takes the shape of a lotus flower, the mountain is also called Lotus Peak. As legend has it, Chen Xiang, a filial young man, once split the mountain and rescued his mother out of it. Now a crack can be witnessed in a giant rock beside Cuiyun Palace as if an axe made it. Thus, the rock is called 'Axe-splitting Rock,' beside which is a huge axe with a long handle. The northwest side of the peak is called Fatal Cliff for it is as steep as if it was cut by a sharp sword.

North Peak, with cliffs on three sides, has only one road leading to the south. From here one goes south to Ca'er Precipice, the fourth most dangerous place along the only path in Mt. Huashan. The cliff path is less than 30 centimeters wide, and faces such a deep valley that the tourists have to edge along carefully. Then one comes to Sky-leading Ladder, Sun and Moon Precipice and the well-known Blue Dragon Mountain.

East Peak, with a rising-sun platform favorable for viewing the morning sun, is also called Facing Sun Peak. As the sun emerges from the sea of clouds, one cannot help but show great admiration.