BEAUTIFUL PEKIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21883, 20 August 1934, Page 11

BEAUTIFUL PEKIN

PALACES AND TEMPLES ANCIENT TOWN PLANNING The exquisite beauty of the temples and palaces of Pekin were described yesterday afternoon by Dr. C. W. Parr to an audience that filled the library of the War Memorial Museum to overflowing. The lecture was illustrated with fine lantern slides made from photographs taken by Dr. Parr during five year's residence at Yenching University in Pekin. Pekin was unique, stated Dr. Parr, because, although built in the loth century, it was laid out on the most modern town-planning lines, with wide thoroughfares running east and west, well placed open spaces and beautiful parks. Large artificial lakes had also been introduced. Dealing with the Forbidden City, the speaker described the Altar and the Temple of Heaven, with their beautiful carvings and delightful colouring. An interesting feature of all the old Chinese buildings was their height, which was never more than 100 ft., in order to avoid inconveniencing the spirits which were believed to hover over the earth above that height. The architectural brilliance of the Chinese at the height of their culture was well illustrated in pictures of the Imperial Palaces and the Jadd Rainbow Bridge. The great temples of the three religions, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, were also shown, as well as that of tho Five Hundred Disciples of Buddha.