At the Summer Palace in Beijing.
I call this statue the Summer Palace Mascot.
This old guy and me go way back. I remember the first time
I saw him 20 years ago. One of his horns had been broken off.
He was covered in chicken wire presumably
to prevent people from
climbing on him. But the chicken wire didn't make him photograph-able
either.
The second time I saw this guy was 10 years ago.
The broken horn was fixed.
He had this spiked fence around him
so you couldn't get close to him. And the fence blocked a clear view
of him.
Now he's clearly visible with a low pipe fence around him.
I guess the caretakers of the Summer Palace have realized
he's pretty tough. He would have to be. He's a palace guardian.
I found out later
who he really is.
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