Palace sights in China
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Summer Palace of the 13th Dalai Lama
The Summer Palace of the 13th Dalai Lama is in the western section of the Norbulingka, northwest of the awful zoo.
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Palace of the Eigth Dalai Lama
This palace was used as a summer palace by the eighth Dalai Lama and by every succeeding Dalai Lama up to the 13th. Only the main audience hall is open; it features 65 hanging thangkas and some lovely painted furniture.
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B
New Summer Palace
The New Summer Palace in the centre of the park was built by the present (14th) Dalai Lama between 1954 and 1956 and is the most interesting of the Norbulingka palaces. You can only enter the walled complex from its east side.
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C
Heaven Dynasty Palace
Heaven Dynasty Palace, off Mochou Lu, was originally established in the Ming dynasty as a school for educating aristocratic children in court etiquette. Most of today's buildings, including the centrepiece of the palace, a Confucian temple, date from 1866 when the whole complex was rebuilt. Today the buildings are used for a range of endeavours, including an artisans' market. To reach the palace, take bus 4 from the Xinjiekou roundabout and get off two stops to the west.
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D
Presidential Palace
After the Taiping took over Nánjīng, they built the Mansion of the Heavenly King (Tiānwáng Fǔ) on the foundations of a former Ming-dynasty palace. This magnificent palace did not survive the fall of the Taiping, but there is a reconstruction and a classical Ming garden, now known as the Presidential Palace. Other buildings on the site were used briefly as presidential offices by Sun Yatsen's government in 1912 and by the Kuomintang from 1927 to 1949. Bus Y1 travels here.
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Summer Palace of the Panchen Lamas
Though it ranks far below Tashilhunpo, if you have extra time in Shigatse, pay a visit to the Summer Palace of the Panchen Lamas on the south end of town. Recent efforts at rehabilitating the straggly gardens are taking fruit, as is the restoration or reworking of wall murals. While the new paintings cannot compare to the masterly works of the past, they are still quite lovely and, covering every surface of the rooms as they do with vibrant colours and fantastic images, form a rather awesome whole.
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Throne Room of the White Palace
As you arrive on the roof of the White Palace, head right for the private quarters of the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas. The first room you come to is the Throne Room of the White Palace , where the Dalai Lamas would receive official guests. The large picture on the left of the throne is of the 13th Dalai Lama; the matching photo of the present Dalai Lama has been removed.
There are some fine murals here, including a depiction of Bodhgaya (where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) and the mythical paradise of Shambhala (by the entry).
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E
Potala Palace
The magnificent Potala Palace, once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas, is Lhasa's cardinal landmark. Your first sight of its towering, fortress-like walls is a moment you'll remember for a long time.
An architectural wonder even by modern standards, the palace rises 13 storeys from 130m-high Marpo Ri (Red Hill) and contains more than a thousand rooms. Pilgrims and tourists alike shuffle down through the three storeys, trying to take in the magnificent chapels and prayer halls.
The first recorded use of the site dates from the 7th century AD, when King Songtsen Gampo built a palace here. Construction of the present structure began…
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Imperial Summer Villa
Sprawling over 590 hectares, the Imperial Summer Villa is a colossal park bounded by a splendid 10km wall. Only a small portion of the grounds contain architecture: around 90% is taken up by lakes, hills, mini-forests, plains and hunting grounds. Passing through the Main Gate (Lìzhèng Mén) you reach the FrontPalace (Zhèng Gōng), containing the main throne hall. Inside, the refreshingly cool Hall of Simplicity & Sincerity is fashioned from an aromatic hardwood called nánmù; there is a carved throne on display. There are also the emperor’s fully furnished bedrooms, as well as displays of ceramics, drum stones and calligraphy. The double-storey Misty Rain Tower…
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