040_FireExtinguisher.jpg 86.1K
040_FireExtinguisher

By imperial decree, no structures could be built higher than the imperial palace in Beijing, and so some of the original wooden buildings on this site burned down a year after being built due to lightning strikes. After that, cauldrons like this were kept ready full of water (until the Chinese learned about lightning rods).

039_Portal | 041_BeijingSkyline

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