Marble Boat

IMG_0265, originally uploaded by yellojkt.

Empress Cixi was warned to use the imperial taxes to build a navy to defend against the French and British. Instead she used the money to restore the Summer Palace from when they burned it down to the ground.

As an inside joke, she had this large marble replica of a gunboat made. It was the frequent site of royal parties. The lack of a navy eventually led to the downfall of the dynasty.