Bronze Bull, Summer Palace, Beijing

In 1755 the Qianlong emperor (reigned 1736-1795) had this bronze bull cast and set in its present spot along the Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace, which he had built northwest of Beijing. In the middle ground is the bridge that leads to the Island of the Dragon King. Three manmade islands in the lake represent celestial islands.

The use of the bull as a talisman against floods was an ancient practice in disaster-prone areas of the Yellow and Yangxi rivers. This photograph is the best-known example in its original location today. An eighty-character inscription by the Qianlong emperor in archaic script on the back of the bull describes its use for this specific purpose.