Tuesday, May 6, 2008Beijing
Remember Cixi, the Spend-Spend-Spend Emperess? Well, here’s her crown jewel—the Marble Boat.
The original, simpler structure was destroyed during the Second Opium War. Cixi, however, resurrected it toward the end of her 1888 renovation, completing it in 1983 by diverting funds earmarked for the Chinese Navy, with the aid of corrupt eunuchs.
The base of the boat is a marble slab that originally served as a platform for a Buddhist monastery during the Ming Dynasty; from there, they’d free birds and fish originally intended for sale in the markets (earning them good karma). The wooden "Marble" ship was built on that same platform, complete with paddle wheels on the sides and elements of European architecture. The whole thing was painted to look like marble, thus the name.
In 1903, Cixi had the top story added, along with colored glass and mirrors in positions to give the impression the boat was actually floating on water.
Which it doesn’t do.
Not too hard to see how this might have irritated the Navy along the way, but still...pretty impressive for a big, white elephant.
Posts
