The Summer Palace was probably my favorite tourist stop. I have always wanted to see the Marble Boat built by the Empress Dragon Lady with the funds she was supposed to use to build the first Chinese Navy. The grounds are impeccable. The covered open walkway (probably 1/2 mile in length) toward the Marble Boat contained over 1200 DIFFERENT original paintings. When I asked why, of course the answer was because she could. She also was the Empress who had to have 128 dishes prepared for her evening meal every day...because she could. The walk also features stones that are supposed to represent the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. I must tell you the picture of the stone is the Dragon, my birth year. You will note one side of the summer house features windows of similar sizes, but all shapes are different. The inside pane lifts up so a lantern could be lighted in every window each night the Empress was in residence. The outside glass remained immovable so that protected both the Empress and the lighted lanterns.
We climbed to the top of the hill...many steps, many different levels...I had to stop and pant at every level, but I made it to the top! Not many people did, and there was no Mao calligraphy when I got to the top. I'm certain the Dragon Lady was carried to the boat and to the house at the top of the hill where she could see over the entire garden and lake (after all, she did have bound feet). This dragon lady walked, and I was really glad I did. The summer house was beautiful and the sights were memorable. Maria pointed out the hill to the left of the Summer Palace across the lake where the top cadres can go for a holiday. Some things in China have not changed from the centuries of dynastic rule to the present Communist government. There is still a great deal of distance and privilege to be enjoyed by those who rule versus those who do not. The boats...either pedal or long boats...were not being rented out on the day we were visiting because it was too windy. The marble boat seemed to need some renovation, but I was still very glad I got to see it.
We left the Summer Palace to finish up the gift shopping, and met Susie at the end of her long day. Susie recently spent 4 weeks in Vietnam touring the big cities and beaches on her own. She is planning on seeing the Shanghai Exhibition, and will visit friends in Italy. I paid her for her guide services, and she presented Candace and me each with a silver necklace with 2 pearl drops. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think of how kind she was to me, and what personal difficulties she was undergoing. I highly, highly recommend her if you are going to China and need a tour guide: zeng_susie@yahoo.com. My day ended with an MRT ride by myself!!!
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