The Summer Palace was traditionally a retreat for the Chinese royal family to escape the summer heat in the middle of Beijing. I happened to be in Beijing in the winter. It was so cold that the entire lake at the centre of the palace has frozen solid, much to the enjoyment of visitors who now had a shortcut from one side of the complex to the other! All images creative commons non commercial

gallery pages: 1 2 3 >

< Prev 5 of 35 Next >

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > The first thing I saw when I walked through the huge doors to the Forbidden City was this scene. This amazing lion statue was twice the size of me which made sense given it's surrounds. Once you visit Beijing and the Forbidden City in particular, your sense of scale is redefined. everything here is bigger and grander than you can imagine. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > In January Beijing is an extremely cold place. So cold in fact that the moat surrounding the Forbidden City is completely frozen over. This is a sunset shot from outside the city with the frozen moat in the foreground.
All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is a beautiful building which creates a stunning sillhouette. This was taken in the late afternoon when the sun was starting to set. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > From the top of a hill in Beijing's Summer Palace, a temple looks through the mist towards a distant pagoda. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > The Summer Palace was traditionally a retreat for the Chinese royal family to escape the summer heat in the middle of Beijing. I happened to be in Beijing in the winter. It was so cold that the entire lake at the centre of the palace has frozen solid, much to the enjoyment of visitors who now had a shortcut from one side of the complex to the other! All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > Kite flying seemed to be a national past time in China. In the parks everyone seemed to have one, each prettier than the next. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > Looking out across the mountains from one of the many watch towers of the Great Wall Of China. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > It's an epic wall. It's name is quite accurate but I prefer 'The Epic Wall Of China'

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > Awe inspiring is not exaggeration with these buddha statues. I will tell you why in figures. The Yungang Caves were carved 1500 years ago. 252 grottoes where created and within them are over 51,000 buddha statue carvings. The Buddha on the left of this photo is a mere 17 metres high! Not much more I can say other than it's one thing I would recommend that people see before they die. All images creative commons non commercial.

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > Hua Shan is a Taoist holy mountain with 5 peaks. At each peak lies a temple, to which there is a difficult, and sometimes perilous climb. This (if I remember correctly) is the north peak. Note the incredibly steep climb with the very secure looking guide rail! All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > Past this guard rail was a sheer drop of over 1000 feet. The red fabric and padlocks are not put there in rememberence for people who fell over the edge thankfully! They are actually placed there and inscribed with prayers for future prosperity. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > A panoramic view of the Hua Shan holy mountain range near Xi'an in China. All images creative commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > On the Taoist holy mountain of Hua Shan, people make the long and dangerous climb to attach these prayer padlocks. The inscriptions are prayers for future prosperity and the locks are attached to every single guide chain in sight. All images creatuive commons non commercial

Ben Ashmole (ashmolephotography) > This is a shot of the city wall in Xi'an, China. A perfect example of modern China in that the wall was created in the 1300's but is seamlessly integrated with a new (and busy) road. China, more than anywhere I have been is where old meets new. All images creative commons non commercial

The Summer Palace was traditionally a retreat for the Chinese royal family to escape the summer heat in the middle of Beijing. I happened to be in Beijing in the winter. It was so cold that the entire lake at the centre of the palace has frozen solid, much to the enjoyment of visitors who now had a shortcut from one side of the complex to the other! All images creative commons non commercial