New Summer Palace

Summer Palace Old and New

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October 17th 2009
In the first couple of weeks in the program, when the weather was still nice, we visited the summer palace: a place for emperors (or empress') to relax and vacation. It was a splurge that kept China from having a military power available to defend themselves and prevent the many years of shame they experienced at the fall of the dynasty. But that's beside the point. It was gorgeous. Big bridges, l ... read more

Asia » China » Beijing

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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