Path Marker

Happening upon an intersection, a traveler in Qing-dynasty China would have been grateful for the guidance of this limestone path marker. Still bearing traces of its original pigmentation, each side of this marker is inscribed with directions. One side directs towards the Zhen De Teng household, another towards the Liang family, and a third towards the North East Road. The fourth inscription announces the year of its construction, the 33rd year of Emperor Guangxu (1908). This second-to-the-last emperor of the Qing-dynasty was a tragic figure in Chinese imperial history. Although the young emperor had engaged in vigorous reforms, he was a victim of a palace coup by the empress dowager and kept under house arrest until his death at age 38. An entrancing piece of Chinese history, we love this marker nestled in a garden as an ornament with a keen sense of time and place.