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CULTURE |
| Diaoyutai, which literally translates to
"Angling Terrace," was built over 800 years during the Jin
Dynasty. For hundreds of years it was the vacation home of the emperors. |
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Out of respect for Western culture, Diaoyutai omitted the number
thirteen when naming the buildings.
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The Diaoyutai compound consists
of most than half a million square meters of land, and 50,000 square
meters of water space. |
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So though there are only eighteen buildings, there is a Building
Number 19.
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| In 1958, on the 10th anniversary of the PRC, the Chinese
government implemented 10 major construction projects in Beijing.
One of which was the reconstruction of Diaoyutai's Number 5 Building
and its service building. |
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The Diaoyutai compound was the headquarters of the cultural
revolution China's political turmoil. |
| When Henry Kissinger was a guest of China in 1971, it
was at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse that he and Chou En-Lai shook hands--this
was the first handshake in 29 years between China and the USA. |
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In 1991 the Beijing Tourist Bureau evaluated all the hotels in
Beijing, Diaoyutai proclaimed that they would maintain five star
service and not participate in the five star rating program because
it is not a hotel but the government's state guesthouse.
However, the Beijing Tourist Bureau still ranks Diaoyutai as number
one.
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