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30th March, 2001

Long Gallery Decorated With Painted Pictures From Chinese Legends: Theatre Performance By Jugglers And Acrobats: Tourists Depart From Military Airport

August, 1987
The Long Gallery is an attractive feature at the Summer Palace. The Long Gallery is beautifully decorated and well worth a visit. Beijing in high summer is extremely hot so the Emperors spent this time at the Summer Palace, built on a hill overlooking Lake Kunming, and we were taken there to have a look. Flights of steps from the front entrance take you to the top. At the entrance to the grounds there were bronze statues of mystical lions, cranes and dragons, all showing signs of the thousands of hands which had touched them for luck, and now protected by rails or mesh. We were told that only the Emperors' dragons had five claws although I am not sure how many a live one would have ! It was certainly much cooler, with lots of trees to provide welcome shade appreciated by everyone of whatever nationality, and on the lake, families were The lake is frozen during the winter and used by skaters. enjoying themselves in their hired rowing boats, in sight of the infamous Marble Boat reflected in the water and built on the orders of the Empress Dowager, financed by navy funds.

Many stalls sell bottled drinks. There are shorter galleries at The Grand View Gardens, near the city centre.Alongside the lake there was a paved walkway lined with trees, then came the Long Gallery nearly half a mile long. An open, all wood structure about three Metres wide having trellised sides half a Metre tall topped with wide planks which were being used by nationals to sit and chat, or to have a nap. The gallery was spectacular enough but it was also ornately decorated both inside and out, and on the solid trusses under the roof, were painted pictures depicting stories from Chinese legends. It was all very beautiful and in later years I would return here with Zhong and he would interpret the stories for me.

The Group's visit to Beijing also included the Ming Tombs, The Forbidden City, a theatre performance given by jugglers and acrobats, and inevitably a dinner with "Peking Duck" on the menu. At the end of our visit, my uneasiness on arrival had dissipated, even when we were told that we should be leaving the city from a military airport ! I would return to Beijing many times in the following years, to be amazed at all the changes that had taken place, but for now, we must fly to Xian.

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