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Glass
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Due to the wholesale destruction of religious edifices during the "Cultural Revolution" (1966-76) no stained glass is to be found in its customary location, churches. It is primarily in clubs, hotels and private residences. This is also true of statuary, which was a favorite target for sledgehammers during that period. The lovely lady pictured right somehow survived in the garden of a private residence in the French Concession. |
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stately ladies grace the notorious "golden cage" just off the Bund
where a colorful Chinese entrepreneur once kept his many concubines in
luxurious captivity. Since at one time, however, the premises were occupied by both the Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione and the Italian Chinese Engineering Works, we suspect the building might originally have been of Italian origin, which accounts for the classic designs of the stained glass windows and the mosaic ceiling. |
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The hunting scene and the Art Nouveau- style peacock in repose are in a surprisingly modest house built after 1949 in the former front garden of the Kwok mansion. The swan scene is in the residence's bathroom.
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