1930s China through American eyes

The famous marble boat of the Empress Dowager

Probably the most interesting place in the neighborhood of Peiping is the Summer Palace on the banks of Lake Kun-ming-hu or Lotus Lake, about ten miles west of Peiping.

The marble boat is one of the most amazing buildings in the Summer Palace. It is not a boat, but a pavilion — though at a little distance it has all the appearance of a real sampan. The sub-structure is marble while the super-structure is wood, painted to resemble marble.

[Photo provided to China Daily/Keystone View Company]