The Marble Boat at The Summer Palace doesn’t float, but presents quite an appearance. The Summer Palace is four times the size of The Forbidden City.
Of course, an emperor should have an impressive gatehouse.
As the emperor walks around the lake, an 850 yard promenade decorated with 4000 individual paintings keeps him dry.
Even the administrative officials get nice buildings at The Summer Palace.
The entrance to The Temple of Heaven Park.
The Temple of Heaven
As we leave this city of 21 million people and seven million cars, it still feels less cramped than Tokyo. To reduce congestion, 20% of licensed cars are forbidden on the streets during the workweek, rotating by number. On weekends, there is no such prohibition so traffic can be even worse. Each meal thus far is communal style with no less than 14 different dishes. No one really tells us what we are eating, maybe for the best, but I taste them all. With few exceptions, they are very good.
Tomorrow, on to Xi’an. Since it has only seven million citizens, it is only a tier 2 city, unlike big brothers Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. But, it has the Terra Cotta Army.