the Nine Dragon Lake with the statue of Yang Gufei
the Dragon Marble Boat in 2004
a nice pavilion
the guide leads us around
you can wash your hands in the warm water
the Lianhu pond is no longer in use
the Dragon Marble Boat in 1997
The place has a history of at
least 3000 years and was a favourite spot for rulers to build a palace and relax, often in the presence of their favourite
concubines.
This practice was set by King You of Zhou and followed by many others, notably the Tang emperor
Xuansong and
his consort the full-breasted
Yang Gufei.
Despite those loving and tender moments at the pool, the emperor had her strangled
to save his own skin.
In December 1936 the springs were the setting for the
Xi'an incident when Chiang Kai-Shek spend a
cold night in the hills above before he was captured.
Huaqing is now a prime tourist spot, but when we visited in December
1997 the place was a bit rundown. We noticed considerable improvements when we returned in May 2004, including a white shining marble
statue of miss Yang.
After all those years she finally got her revence.
the bath pavilions on a cold and hazy day in December 1997
steam rises above the lotusflowers, people use it to warm their hands
at the pool
ladies in tradition dress
