Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Xiamen [May 14-23, 2005]
View of the Pudong River from the Jin Bao Tower Ceiling details inside the Temple of Heaven Panda viewing in the Beijing Zoo Qingyanfang, or more popularly known as the Marble Boat, is the largest existing marble boat in China at 36 metres, located in the Summer Palace of Beijing. First built in A.D. 1755 completely of white stones during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, it was meant to be a water-surface belvedere for the imperial family as well as a symbol of the rockfirm solidarity of the imperial power. The original wood cabin-house was burnt down by British and French troops in 1860. The present structure, rebuilt in 1893 during the reign of Guangxu, was supposed to be patterned after the cabin-house on a Western vessel, the windows paned with stained glass and the floor paved with enamelled tiles. It is generally believed that the powerful Empress Dowager Cixi watched from the Marble Boat the exercise of naval units on the lake. It is now one of the tourist attactions in...