North of the Great Wall, the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of
Kublai Khan’s legendary capital city, designed by the Mongol ruler’s
Chinese advisor Liu Bingzhdong in 1256. Over a surface area of 25,000 ha, the site was a unique attempt to
assimilate the nomadic Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures. From this
base, Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty that ruled China over a
century, extending its boundaries across Asia. As the place where Kublai Khan rose to power, hosted religious debates
and entertained foreign travellers whose writings gave inspiration down
the centuries, it has achieved legendary status in the rest of the world
and is the place from where Tibetan Buddhism expanded.
The Site of Xanadu was abandoned in 1430. The large archaeological site
now generally covered by grassland preserves the overall urban plan and
city site of Xanadu as built and used in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Many thanks to Zihu for this card. I was curious to see what this place would have looked like in its days of glory, but oddly enough I couldn't find anything...
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