The tranquil scene at right, from
the Summer Mountain Villa in Chengde, Hebei province, seems a
world away from the bustle and pollution of modern urban
China.
It is from Discover China: Cultural Icons (David
Bateman, hbk, $70), a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book
of photographs of awe-inspiring temples, palaces, historic
towns, monuments and gardens, all beautifully swept and
polished, clean and pristine.
Only a few even have people in shot.
It shows the wide range of Chinese cultural history, from the
Forbidden City in Beijing to the Dazu rock carvings, the
Potala Palace in Tibet and the Dujiangyan irrigation system
that has provided flood control and irrigation for two
millennia.
Gua Xiangying and Lan Xilin have provided succinct
explanations and helpful maps at the beginning of each
section.
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