Roof dragons

Beijing Summer Palace

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May 19th 2010
As is the way with hostels, I bumped into two other backpackers and joined forces for the day. My companions were French, so I got some language practice in as well (yes, I know, I'm a geek). The Emperor's summer residence was entirely destroyed by Anglo-French troops in the 1890s, so what is there now has been reconstructed since. And they have done an excellent job. The palace complex is ... read more

Asia » China » Beijing » Summer Palace

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more