Xiyang Lou stone carvings
Our secretary visited the Xiyang Lou ruins in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing during August. The original structures were built in the 1750s under the guidance of an Italian designer and a French engineer. The Western style mansion and associated stone structures were built by Chinese stonemasons. The structures were rampaged by the Anglo-French troops in the 1860s and left ever since as a memorial to those who died during the invasion. The remaining structures show evidence of tool marks made by the masons during construction and the details of 18th century European style.
