Peiping, July 25. a regular summer resort for the foreign community of Peiping Peitaiho is a comparatively modern discovery of the last 30 years or so, Up to that time various temples in the nearer hills, to the west of the city, were the popular summer retreat of the members of the various foreign Legations. In the very early days before the railway ran to the Capital—it was only connected up with Tientsin in the late nineties—theSe temples were, in fact, the only possible places of refuge from the heat, noise and smells in summer. So much so was this the case, that just prior to 1900] the British Legation had started to erect its own summer quarters on the slopes of the hills a mile or so to the west of the Hunting! Park. These buildings were looted and burnt by the Boxers, and no attempt was made to reconstruct them, Their ruins can stull be seen there to this day, Apart from a few scattered. temples nearer the city, the chief groups of temples. to which foreigners used {o retire during the summer months: 48 a cluster of temples, known to all residents and visitors ay" Patachu. (Eight Great Places), about twelve miles from the city. ' These temples Fise one above the other in a well-wooded ravine, and from the terrace in front of each, one gets a magnificent view over the plain. They ate mentioned. in. most descriptions by: foreign visitors, ever since the frst days" In 1860, when foreign envoys were at last permitted to desecrate the saeredl city with their presence.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.