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Archive : China

In 2015, I travelled to three historical cities in China (中国).

As usual, clicking makes the photos bigger, and more information is hidden in the captions.

Beijing (北京, Peking, Beiping, Daidu, Khanbaliq, Cambuluc), known by many exotic names, has a near-mythical status in western culture, like Rome or Timbuktu. Meanwhile contemporary Beijing brings to mind Victorian London, with deep smogs and swathes of beautiful - essentially medieval - neighbourhoods clashing with the destructive and regenerative power of industrialisation. If the right balance is struck, the city can have both - in contrast to Tokyo, which had the slate wiped clean by American bombers.

CHINA
Deshengmen (Gate Of Virtuous Triumph). Corner towner on the city walls. Corner towner on the city walls. Yongdingmen (Eternal Fixed Gate).
Zhonghuamen (Central Flowery Gate). Zhonghuamen. Zhengyangmen (Towards The Sun Gate). Zhengyangmen.
The Monument To The Heroes Of The People. Mao Tse Tung's mausoleum. Mao Tse Tung's mausoleum dominates Tiananmen Square. The Great Hall Of The People (Chinese Communist Party headquarters).
Tiananmen Square is almost incomprehensibly large - 36 times the size of Trafalgar Square.
Tiananmen (The Gate Of Heavenly Peace, 1651). Tiananmen. Duanmen (The Gate Of The Correct Department). Tiananmen.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple (太廟, Taimiao, dating from 1420/1545) was the venue for sacrificial rites honouring the imperial ancestors several times each year.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple. Entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Wumen (The Meridian Gate, 1417).
The Meridian Gate and the Golden River.
Corner turret of The Meridian Gate. The Meridian Gate. Passing through The Meridian Gate. The Meridian Gate.
Once past the Meridian Gate (Wumen), the visitor has formally entered The Forbidden City, so called because no commoner was permitted to enter. The 9,000-room complex occupies roughly 180 acres at the centre of Beijing, and took its present form in 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (永樂帝). Its design is attributed to Kuai Xiang, Chen Gui and others.
Taihemen (The Gate Of Supreme Harmony).
The Gate Of Supreme Harmony. The Gate Of Supreme Harmony.
The gate is flanked by two other gates. A female bronze lion. Marble balustrades with gargoyles. One of the side gates leading off the main processional route.
Dougong. Marble ramp for carriages. Corner tower of the first courtyard. Corner tower of the first courtyard.
The Meridian Gate, across the five bridges of the Golden River, seen from the Gate Of Supreme Harmony.
The Hall Of Supreme Harmony.
The Hall Of Supreme Harmony.
The Hall Of Supreme Harmony (太和殿, Taihedian) is the central throne hall in the Forbidden City, where all emperors from Ming dynasty onwards were crowned. Dating from 1420 (although this iteration is from 1697), it is the largest wooden building in China and the second largest (traditional) wooden building in the world after Todai-ji in Nara. The courtyard before the hall is large enough to encircle two complete copies of Buckingham Palace.
Taihedian (The Hall Of Supreme Harmony). Looking back down the marble ramp from the terrace of The Hall Of Supreme Harmony.
A sundial. A bronze crane. The Dragon Throne - the throne of the Chinese Empire. Deep eaves.
The side of The Hall Of Supreme Harmony. The Hall Of Supreme Harmony. The rear of The Hall Of Supreme Harmony. Dougong of The Hall Of Supreme Harmony.
The Outer Court. The rear of The Hall Of Supreme Harmony. Tirenge (The Pavilion Of Manifest Benevolence). Corner tower of The Outer Court (second courtyard).
Three halls including The Hall Of Supreme Harmony sit on a large marble terrace. Zhonghedian (The Hall Of Central Harmony). Throne in the Zhonghedian. The Zhonghedian and Baohedian.
The Hall Of Central Harmony was used as a robing room, while The Hall Of Preserving Harmony was the venue for receiving tribute from vassal states.
Baohedian (The Hall Of Preserving Harmony). Dougong. Throne in The Hall Of Preserving Harmony. Spectacular roofs.
Approaching the private Inner Court (through The Gate Of Heavenly Purity).
Corner tower of The Outer Court. A male bronze lion. Qianqinggong (The Palace Of Heavenly Purity) - the first hall of The Inner Court.
A marble basin. Jiangshan Hall. The dilapidated door of Jiangshan Hall. Throne in the Palace Of Heavenly Purity.
The Inner Court was the residential area of the palace. The emperor used The Palace Of Heavenly Purity, while the empress used The Palace Of Earthly Tranquility. The imperial seals
were kept in The Hall Of Union.
Jiaotaidian (The Hall Of Union). The Hall Of Union. Kunninggong (The Palace Of Earthly Tranquility). The Palace Of Earthly Tranquility.
An inner gateway. Woodwork of The Palace Of Earthly Tranquility. Jiulongbi (The Nine-Dragon Wall, 1772). The Nine-Dragon Wall.
Fengxiandian (The Hall Of Ancestry Worship, 1657). The Hall Of Ancestry Worship, where the clock collection is exhibited. One of the clocks, likely made in Britain by James Cox or Joseph Williamson. One of the Forbidden City's corner turrets.
The Hall Of Ancestry Worship was cleared out during the madness of the Cultural Revolution (while most of the palace was unharmed). It now houses an extensive collection of European (largely British) clocks. Many were manufactured during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (乾隆帝) by James Cox, who also created the famous Peacock Clock in St. Petersburg. Surprising, perhaps, that it was Qianlong who famously declared that the Chinese Empire had all things in abundance and no need of imports from Britain, after Lord Macartney refused to kowtow in 1793.
Wenyuange (The Imperial Library, 1776). Bridge to the Imperial Library. The use of water (and related symbols) is to protect the books from fire. Ceiling of one of the treasure halls. From the Imperial Library, back to the central axis.
Courtyard after courtyard. Columns of Huangjidian (The Hall Of Imperial Supremacy, 1689). The Hall Of Imperial Supremacy.
Approaching the theatre. Approaching The Hall Of Character Cultivation. The courtyard of The Hall Of Imperial Supremacy. The courtyard of The Hall Of Imperial Supremacy.
Approaching the theatre. Changyinge (The Pavilion Of Pleasant Sounds, a theatre). Beside the theatre.
Carved dougong. Ceiling of one of the rooms near the theatre. The stage of the theatre. The Hall Of Character Cultivation.
A garden scene. Intricate dougong. The well of Zhen the unfortunate Pearl Concubine, who was thrown down the well on the orders of Empress Dowager Cixi as the latter escaped to Xi'an during the Boxer Rebellion. Picturesque.
A crown for an empress. Hidden corner of the city. Balcony. Imperial magnitude.
Gate of one of the small side palaces. Gate between the many small courtyards. Passage. Perfectly framed.
Another courtyard. The Palace Of Gathered Elegance. The Hall Of Mental Cultivation. The Palace Of Gathered Elegance.
Another gate. The only telephone in the Forbidden City (at least, until the fall of the empire). The Hall Of Mental Cultivation. A jade disc (bi).
Ceiling of one of the garden pavilions. One of the twin garden pavilions. The Hall Of Imperial Peace. The Pavilion Of Floating Jade.
A bronze elephant (anatomically impossible pose). The Hill Of Gathering Beauty. Shenwumen (The Gate Of Divine Prowess) - the northern exit from the Forbidden City. A pailou in Jingshan Park.
One of the towers in Jingshan Park. Tower at the summit of Jingshan Park. The city's bell tower. The bell tower.
View of the drum tower north of Jingshan Park. The drum tower. The bell tower. View of the drum tower.
The Fu Jen Catholic University. Several areas of Beijing are made up of quaint hutongs (traditional streets). A hutong. A hutong.
The White Pagoda in Beihai Park.
The Miniature Western Paradise of Beihai Park. The Miniature Western Paradise. The Miniature Western Paradise.
The Five-Dragon Pavilions. The Five-Dragon Pavilions. One of the pailou at the Miniature Western Paradise. The Nine-Dragon Wall (1402; older than the copy in the Forbidden City).
The lake of Beihai Park and the Jade Flower Island have been used as a park for around 1000 years.
The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests (1890). The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests at The Temple Of Heaven. The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests.
The Hall Of Imperial Zenith (1420). The Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests.
The Palace Of Fasting.
Gate of The Temple Of Heaven. Side hall of The Temple Of Heaven. The Red Stairway Bridge. The Butchering Pavilion, where sacrificial animals were butchered.
Gate to the Imperial Vault. The Round Altar of The Temple Of Heaven. The Imperial Vault Of Heaven (1530). Gates leading from the Round Altar to The Imperial Vault Of Heaven.
The Temple Of Heaven (天壇, Tiantan) was founded in 1420 by the Yongle Emperor. The emperor would pray there twice a year - once at the Hall Of Prayer For Good Harvests, and once on the Round Altar.
Pensioners playing cards. The Seven-Star Stones (Ursa Major). The Double-Ring Longevity Pavilion. Venn diagram or infinity?
The Temple Of The Earth. The Temple Of The Earth. The Square Altar of The Temple Of The Earth. Incense burner.
The Lama Temple sits next to a motorway. Pailou at the Lama Temple. Entrance of the Lama Temple. Stele pavilion.
The Lama Temple (雍和宮, Yonghe Temple) was begun in 1694,
becoming a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in 1722.
Inscription in Tibetan. Inscription in Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian/Manchu? The Hall Of The Dharma Wheel. The Lama Temple.
Stele pavilion. The bell tower (possibly drum tower). The Pavilion Of Ten Thousand Happinesses, which contains an astonishing 26m statue of Buddha.
Victory banners hang from the ceiling. Yama, or Shinje. The Lama Temple. Some sort of pulpit.
Statue of Confucius, at the Temple Of Confucius. The Temple Of Confucius (Beijing). Stele pavilions. Stele pavilions.
Inside the Temple Of Confucius. Animals bathing in money. A great many stelae at the temple. The great gate of the Imperial College.
The central hall of the Imperial College, where the emperor gave lectures. The Imperial College. The Imperial College. The gate.
The Imperial College (Guozijian) was one of the institutions where students would sit for the imperial examinations, allowing them entry into the state bureaucracy. The examination system was abolished in 1905, not long before the fall of the empire.
The ancient observatory. The ancient observatory. The sextant and theodolite. The (small) armillary sphere.
The (great) armillary sphere. The altazimuth and ecliptic armillary sphere. The celestial globe. The 'compendium' instrument.
The ancient observatory in Beijing moved to its present site on the city wall in 1442. Although Yule provides some evidence for the instruments having been witnessed by Marco Polo in the Yuan dynasty, other sources credit Ferdinand Verbiest (a Jesuit) with their design in 1669. During the Boxer Rebellion, the French took five instruments to their embassy, while the Germans took the large armillary spheres and the celestial globe to Potsdam, returning them later in accordance with the Treaty Of Versailles.
The Prince Gong mansion. The Prince Gong mansion. Dougong. Bamboo-effect hall.
The Prince Gong mansion. Garden gate. Garden gate. Door of the bamboo-effect hall.
A great many prayer tags. The Prince Gong mansion. The Prince Gong mansion.
The Prince Gong mansion is a residence latterly occupied by Prince Gong, a Qing official who established China's first foreign ministry, the Zongli Yamen, during the Opium Wars.
Guangji Temple. Guangji Temple. The Temple Of Past Dynasties. Jing De Chong Sheng Hall, which commemorates 188 emperors.
The Temple Of Past Dynasties. The Temple Of Past Dynasties. The National Library. Beijing West Station.
The former Yokohama Bank. The former French post office. St. Michael's Church. St. Michael's Church.
By chance, my lodgings were on the site of the former Spanish embassy on Legation Street (Dongjiaominxiang Street), where the peace was negotiated and signed between China and the western powers after the Boxer Rebellion. Qing imperial soldiers and the Boxers had laid siege to the foreign legations for several weeks in the summer of 1900.
Xishiku Cathedral. Xishiku Cathedral. Xishiku Cathedral. Xishiku Cathedral.
Xishiku Cathedral (the North Cathedral, the Peitang) was designed by the French bishop Pierre-Marie-Alphonse Favier, who was later besieged inside the cathedral with several thousand Chinese Christians during the Boxer Rebellion.
The South Cathedral. The South Cathedral. The South Cathedral. Statue of Matteo Ricci.
The South Cathedral was founded by Matteo Ricci in 1605, although the present building dates from 1904 after the previous one was destroyed by the Boxers. Ricci was a Jesuit missionary from
Macerata (Italy) and was the first European to enter the Forbidden City and the first to translate Confucius into Latin.
The Qianmen shopping district. The Qianmen shopping district ('Coloured Glaze Street'). The Qianmen shopping district. The Qianmen shopping district.
The railway museum, formerly Qianmen Station. Certificate from the Imperial Chinese Railway College, signed by one Professor Ernest Sprague from UCL. It's labelled the 'Rocket Of China' but it's clearly a model of The Rocket (which is in London). One of China's new high-speed trains.
The National Museum Of China. The museum's vastness echoes that of China. Chairman Mao meets Stalin. Between them, they were responsible for between 50 and 100 million deaths. Painting commemorating the Rape Of Nanking.
Diplomatic gift from North Korea. Gift from the African Union (model of the Obelisk Of Axum). A tarnished silver dish given by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. A pair of swans given by President Richard Nixon.
The museum had a large room crammed with African sculptures, largely without context. An oracle bone from the Shang dynasty (a turtle plastron). Paper money issued by Kublai Khan. A tablet of authority (paiza) much like the ones Marco Polo described.
Bronze head from Sanxingdui. The Houmuwu ding, forbidden to leave China. Jade burial suit. Jade burial suit.
Ming-dynasty copy of The Analects of Confucius. Facsimile of a Han-dynasty copy of The Art Of War written on bamboo. The Travels Of Marco Polo. Scene from Journey To The West (see Xi'an, below).
The Yingzao Fashi. Model of a hall. Model of Fogong Temple. Roof finial.
The Yingzao Fashi (營造法式), dating from the Song dynasty, specifies the rules of Chinese architecture, much as Vitruvius and Palladio specified the classical orders in Europe.
The Temple Of Agriculture (now the architecture museum). Corner tower, perhaps from the Forbidden City. Lots of tiny buildings. A tulou, a traditional form of communal living found in the province of Fujian.
Bell from one of Zheng He's ships. Model of one of Zheng He's ships. Celadon ware. Zheng He's voyages.
The Yongle Emperor dispatched Zheng He (鄭和), a Muslim eunuch, on trading expeditions around the Indian Ocean, beginning in 1405. His fleet of around 300 ships, some of which were the largest in medieval history, reached the African coast and left behind artefacts such as the Galle stele in Sri Lanka. Some have speculated that Zheng He reached the Americas.
Phoenix crown of Empress Xiaoduan (Ming dynasty). A jade Imperial Seal from the Qing dynasty. Seal of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who ordered the construction of the Potala Palace in Tibet (Ming dynasty). Facsimile of the Imperial Edict proclaiming the abdication of the last Qing emperor, ending 2000 years of the Chinese Empire.
The Summer Palace.
The Summer Palace, as the Garden Of Pure Ripples, was created by the Qianlong Emperor in 1750.
Dougong. Hall Of The Four Great Regions, a Tibetan-style complex at the Summer Palace. The Four Great Regions. The Four Great Regions.
Rocky gate. The Four Great Regions. The Four Great Regions. The Sea Of Wisdom.
'Suzhou Street'. Empress Dowager Cixi's Marble Boat. Pailou. The Bridge Of The Banana Plant.
The Tower Of Cloud-Retaining Eaves. The Long Walk beside Kunming Lake (728 metres). Quaint. The Summer Palace.
The Hall For Listening To Orioles. Central hall of the Summer Palace. Central hall of the Summer Palace. Central hall of the Summer Palace.
Stairs. Stairs. The Summer Palace. The Tower Of The Fragrance Of Buddha, atop Longevity Hill.
The Revolving Archives. The Realm Of Multitudinous Fragrance. View of Kunming Lake. A dragon boat.
Wenchang Tower. The Bronze Ox (1755). The Spacious Pavilion. The Seventeen Arch Bridge.
Wenchang Gallery. Pailou at the Summer Palace. Ruined bridge in Yuanmingyuan Park. The Pavilion In A Blue Mirror at Yuanmingyuan Park.
Yuanmingyuan Park (the Old Summer Palace) once contained a vast array of buildings like the remaining (new) Summer Palace. It included wonders such as Hanjing Hall, Anyou Palace, the Fanghu Shengjing complex, and a series of baroque buildings by Giuseppe Castiglione (from Milan), commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor in 1759.
Classical ruins of the Xie Qiqu Pavilion. The baroque maze (Wanhua Zhen complex). Baroque ruins of the Da Shuifa fountain. Ruins of the Fangwai Observatory.
Ruins of Haiyan Hall and its water clock. Cistern. A dragon, one of the bronze zodiac. Reproductions of the bronze zodiac.
The Summer Palace and park were destroyed by British and French troops amid the Second Opium War (1860) under the orders of Lord Elgin, in retaliation for the torture and murder of several peace envoys. Among the loot that has found its way into western museums were a number of bronze heads from the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac that decorated the water clock of Haiyan Hall.
The Great Wall Of China.
The Great Wall Of China is at least 5,000 miles long
and the extant parts largely date from the Ming dynasty.
The bus to Badaling is the usual way to get to the Great Wall from Beijing, and is extremely popular. The Great Wall Of China. The great wall of people. Bastion.
Gate at the Changling mausoleum. The sacrificial hall at the Changling mausoleum (second largest traditional building in China after The Hall Of Supreme Harmony). Part of the Yongle Encyclopedia (Yongle Dadian). The Changling mausoleum.
One of thirteen Ming tombs outside Beijing, the Changling mausoleum was built for the Yongle Emperor in 1424. The emperor undertook many famous projects including the Forbidden City, the voyages of Zheng He, and an encyclopedia of more than 11,000 volumes that was largely lost when the Hanlin Academy was burned down by the Kansu Braves in 1900.
Modern statue of the Yongle Emperor. Stele pavilion with the burial mound behind it. Stele pavilion. Memorial stele to the Yongle Emperor.
The processional way to the Changling mausoleum extends for several miles, and one section is lined with twenty-four stone creatures.
The Great Red Gate, marking the start of the Spirit Way. The stele pavilion at the start of the Spirit Way. The stele. The Dragon And Phoenix Gate, marking the end of the sculptural section of the Spirit Way.
Animal statues (dating to 1540) line the Spirit Way. A qilin (Chinese 'unicorn'). Elephant statue. A priest or mandarin.
The Spirit Way.

The city of Xi'an (西安, Chang'an), in the province of Shaanxi, was the first capital of China unified by the Qin Emperor and, through various interruptions, finally ceased to be the capital at the end of the Tang dynasty. Xi'an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, along which China and the Roman Empire (Daqin) traded as far back as 200 BC (Han dynasty). Ambassadors from Rome are thought to have arrived in China in 166 AD.

Xi'an.
The walls of Xi'an date back to the 1300s and stretch 9 miles in circumference.
Outer (archery) tower of the southern city gate. Inner tower of the south barbican. Beautiful houses.
The walls of Xi'an. The walls of Xi'an. The walls of Xi'an.
Outer tower of the west gate. View of the bell tower. Inner tower of the west gate.
The drum tower. The bell tower. Pagoda of the former Baoqing Temple.
Street full of calligraphy supplies. Pretty street. Guanzhong Academy.
In the shadow Xi'an's drum tower, one can find a lively street food market leading to The Great Mosque Of Xi'an, founded in 742 AD.
Street food market. Pailou at the entrance of the Great Mosque Of Xi'an. The Great Mosque.
The Great Mosque. The Great Mosque. The Phoenix Pavilion at the Great Mosque.
The prayer hall of the Great Mosque Of Xi'an. Interesting mix of Islamic and Chinese motifs. Arabic inscription.
The Great Wild Goose Pagoda. Pavilion at the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. The Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Unusual style of dougong.
The Great Wild Goose Pagoda dates from the 7th century (Tang dynasty), and was built to hold Buddhist scriptures brought from India and translated by the monk Xuanzang (玄奘). His pilgrimage was retold in the famous novel Journey To The West. The name of the pagoda, meanwhile, is said to come from a goose that fell dead over a monastery in Magadha (India).
Hall at the pagoda. Sculptural detail. Hall at the pagoda.
Statue of Buddha. Statue of Xuanzang. Gemstone mural.
The Great Wild Goose Pagoda. View from the pagoda. Could easily be misread as gothic turrets.
Buddhist texts. Murals. Statue of Xuanzang.
Pailou at the entrance of the Stele Forest. Stele pavilion. Stele pavilion.
Huge bell from the city's bell tower (Tang dynasty). The Nestorian Stele. The Nestorian Stele.
The Nestorian Stele, dating from 781 AD (Tang dynasty) and rediscovered in 1625, records the earliest history of Christianity in China. The Christians in question came from the Nestorian Church, a branch of Eastern Christianity found in the Middle East. The tablet's heading includes the Chinese name for the Roman Empire - Daqin (大秦).
Many Chinese stelae are carried by stone bixi. Stele inscription. Inscribed diagram of Xingqing Palace.
Carved pillars. Museum building in the Stele Forest. Museum building in the Stele Forest.
Stone rhino from the Tang dynasty. Li Shou's epitaph. Li Shou's tomb.
The Terracotta Army.
What we know of as the Terracotta Army (some of which I had seen in San Francisco) makes up only a small part of the vast mausoleum complex of the Qin Emperor (秦始皇, Qin Shi Huang) - a staggering feat begun 200 years before Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon. The Qin Emperor was the first to unify China, a fact fittingly reflected in the western name for the country.
Terracotta soldier. Terracotta soldier. Traces of paint.
One of the smaller pits. More than 70,000 terracotta figures have been discovered. Each soldier is different.
The Shaanxi Museum. Somewhere on the north China plain. These travels are only possible by high-speed rail (this appears to be a CRH380A).

Qufu (曲阜, Chufou), in the province of Shandong (2 hours from Beijing), is the town where philospher Confucius (孔丘, Kong Qiu) was born and died (in 479 BC). His teachings profoundly shaped oriental culture.

City gate. City gate. The drum tower.
Street leading to the bell tower.
Entrance gate of the Kong mansion (occupied by descendents until 1937). The Gate Of Double Glory, only opened for ceremonial events. Presumably some important words.
The descendents of Confucius lived in the Kong mansion until 1937.
The Kong mansion. The Kong mansion. The Kong mansion.
Refuge tower in the Kong mansion. In the garden. Iron Hill Garden.
First of four pailou leading into the Temple Of Confucius (Gateway Of Striking Golden Bell And Beating Jade, 1538). The second pailou (Gate Of Lattice Star). The third pailou (Gate Of Universal Vitality, 1544).
The current plan of the Temple Of Confucius largely dates from the 11th century (the Song dynasty), although Confucius has been worshipped in Qufu since his death.
Gate at the Temple Of Confucius. Sign for the Gate Of Enhancing Morals. Ancient bracket system (dougong).
The Chenghua Stele, which was damaged in the Cultural Revolution. Temple Of Confucius. Temple Of Confucius.
Stele pavilions (there are 13). Stelae. Stele pavilions.
The main hall - the Hall Of Great Achievement (Dacheng Hall; this version dates from 1724). The Apricot Terrace, from which Confucius used to lecture.
The Hall Of Great Achievement. The Hall Of Great Achievement. The hall's carved stone columns.
The statue of Confucius. The Kuiwen Library Pavilion (originally built 1018; this version from 1504). A well reputedly used by Confucius.
The hall's carved stone columns. Temple Of Confucius. A great number of altars.
On the northern boundary of the city, one can find a beautiful forest, in the middle of which is a venerated and verdant mound: the tomb of Confucius.
Approaching the Cemetery Of Confucius. The Everlasting Green Archway. Entrance gate of the Cemetery Of Confucius.
Gate in the Cemetery Of Confucius. Cemetery Of Confucius. A little further to go.
Approaching the tomb. The tomb of Kong Ji, Confucius' grandson. The Tomb Of Confucius (the inscription dates from 1448).