B256 Mysterious Peking and Shanghai cc1972 gaf (Color Photos Fine despite stain on paper)
| OCR sample from booklet This View-Master stereo picture presentation B256 will take us inside the two greatest cities of China—Peking and Shanghai. PEKING-THE "NORTHERN CAPITAL" Peking, the capital of the People's Republic of China, lies on the Northern Plain of Hopei Province, in the lee of moun- tains that sweep northward to Inner Mongolia. It is at about the same latitude as Philadelphia and Denver. Its site has been occupied for 4,000 years. Except for brief periods, it has been China's capital since 1122 A.D. The name means "Northern Capital." Its population is estimated at 7,300,000-almost as large as New York City. Peking has always been a city of mystery to most Western- ers, especially since 1949, when Mao Tse-tung made it the l capital of Communist China and most Americans were barred from the country. It is a double-walled city; its heart is the walled compound known as the Forbidden City, where Ming and Manchu emperors once ruled supreme and where com- moners dared not set foot. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo, who visited Peking in 1265 when the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan was on the throne, wrote later: "To this city everything that is most rare and valuable in all the world finds its way." The Communists have modernized the look of Peking by adding museums, exhibit halls, factories, and apartments. SHANGHAI-"UP FROM THE SEA" Teeming Shanghai, second largest city in the world with nearly 11 million inhabitants (only Tokyo is larger), is the economic dynamo of China. It lies on the shore of the Whangpoo River, whose waterfront is one of the busiest in the world. Its climate is balmy; its latitude is similar to that of Tallahassee, New Orleans, and Houston. Shanghai grew from a small fishing village to serve as a port for foreign commerce and industry during the years when Western business interests held a firm grip on China. It became renowned as one of the world's most colorful and wicked cities. Vice dens flourished; men were doped and "shanghaied" into forced service on ship's crews; the rich ignored the poor, who often left unwanted babies on the streets to die. Today Shanghai is austere, hard-working, moralistic. Its factories produce steel, machinery, textiles, and many other items. The chimes in the old Customs House clock tower now ring out the Communist patriotic tune, "The East Is Red." VIEW.MASTER REEL A PEKING: THE FORBIDDEN CITY Peking is laid out in a manner suggesting a Chinese puzzle, with boxes within boxes. In the center is the Forbidden City, a 250-acre complex of palaces and temples. It was the secluded dwelling place of 24 Ming and Manchu emperors from the early fifteenth century until 1911, when the Manchu Dynasty was overthrown. Surrounding the Forbidden City is the Imperial City, once a residential quarter for courtiers and government officials. It in turn is surrounded by the Tartar City, in which Manchu emperors garrisoned their troops. South of the Tartar City is the Chinese City, in which natives were forced to live. This picture takes us within the Forbidden City. A gilded lion statue guards the Gate of Celestial Purity. In the row of great pots, incense once was burned on state occasions. The lone bicycle parked in front is an eloquent comment on the changes that have taken place since imperial days. Now the Forbidden City is a park for public enjoyment. A BRIDGES ON THE GOLDEN WATER RIVER Five marble bridges span the Golden Water River, a manmade stream that winds around the edges of the Forbidden City. The bridges are elaborately carved. Each has two flights of steps and, between them, a ramp up which the imperial sedan chairs were formerly carried. A HALL OF PERFECT HARMONY The three Halls of Harmony were the principal ceremonial halls in the Forbidden City. This is the Hall of Perfect Harmony, used for elaborate ceremonies three times a year: on the Chinese New Year's Day, the emperor's birthday, and the day of the winter solstice. The other two halls are named Middle Harmony and Protecting Harmony. All have graceful yellow tiled roofs. A TEMPLE OF HEAVEN IN CHINESE CITY In the southeastern corner of Peking is a group of buildings called, collectively, the Temple of Heaven. The compound is now a public park. Here is one of the most beautiful buildings in China-the Hall of Prayers for a Good ETC ETC |