Browse Items (102 total)

Looking southeast from White Dagoba hill in Beijing's Beihai park, one sees the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace complex and the skyscrapers of modern Beijing in the distance.

A shiny new license plate marks a change in ownership for this rusty old bicycle.

Gate and roof of the Hall of Sovereign Heaven at the rear of the Temple of Heaven complex, which housed tablets representing heavenly spirits (but not that of Heaven itself, which resided in the Imperial Vault of Heaven).

Three sets of conical eaves representing Heaven, Earth and Nature cap the Temple of Heaven's Hall of Prayer for a Prosperous Year. Originally colored azure, yellow and green to indicate that symbolism, a 1751 renovation left all eaves azure.

Rear entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Imperial Palace complex.

One of five stone bridges which cross the Inner Golden River in the courtyard beyond Meridian Gate, the entrance to the Imperial Palace.

Built in 1651 to herald the Dalai Lama's visit to the Qing court, Beihai Park's White Dagoba was rebuilt in 1680. The dagoba is a Tibetan Buddhist architectural form imported to China during the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368).

A coiled dragon motif graces the white balustrading on the terraced steps to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Imperial Palace. This view is from the Hall's central terrace looking west.

A winding stone balustrade lines the Inner Golden River, which meanders through the courtyard separating Meridian Gate (Wu men), entrance to the Imperial Palace, from the Gate of Supreme Harmony leading to the main halls of the complex beyond.

View of unrestored rooftops in the Imperial Palace complex, looking east from a Hall of Supreme Harmony terrace.