P6170289

Yuan Ming Yuan - The Old Summer Palace

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June 26th 2011
Most visitors come to Beijing to see the Forbidden City and Summer Palace. They didn’t know the original summer palace was grander and more beautiful than the existing summer palace. Emperor Kangxi commissioned to have the palace built for the royal family as a retreat during hot summer months in 1700. The palace took 150 years to complete. It was a beautiful royal summer palace until Britai ... read more

Asia » China

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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