At the sides of the gates, and also between them, are esplanades for mounting to the top; this is shut to the common people, and the guards are not allowed to bring their women upon the wall, which would be deemed an affront to Kwantí. The moat around the city is fed from the Tunghwui River, which also supplies all the other canals leading across or through the city. The approach to Peking from Tung chau is by an elevated stone road, but nothing of the buildings inside the walls is seen; and were it not for the lofty towers over the gates, it would more resemble an encampment inclosed by a massive wall than a large metropolis. No spires or towers of churches, no pillars or monuments, no domes or minarets, nor even many dwellings of superior elevation, break the dull uniformity of this or any Chinese city. In Peking, the different colored yellow or green tiles on official buildings,[30] mixed with the brown roofs of common houses, impart a variety to the scene, but the chief objects to relieve the monotony are the large clumps of trees, and the flag-staffs in pairs near the temples. The view from the walls impresses one with the grand ideas of the founders of the city; and the palaces in the Forbidden City, towering above everything else, worthily exhibit their notions of what was befitting the sovereigns of the Middle Kingdom. The Bell and Clock Towers, the Prospect Hill, the dagobas, pagodas, and gate towers, and lastly the Temple of Heaven, are all likewise visible from this point, and render the scene picturesque and peculiar.[31] [Illustration: MAP OF PEKING. REFERENCES. A. The Meridian Gate. B. Gate of Extensive Peace. C. Hall of Perfect Peace. D. Hall of Secure Peace. E. Palace of Heaven--the Emperor’s. F. Palace of Earth’s Repose--the Empress’. G. Gate to Earth’s Repose, leads to a Garden. H. Ching-hwang miao. I. Temple of Great Happiness. J. Northern gate of Forbidden City. K. Nui Koh, or Privy Council Chamber, lies within the wall. K. Gate of Heavenly Rest. L. Hall of Intense Mental Exercises. M. Library, or Hall of Literary Abyss. N. Imperial Ancestral Hall. O. Hall of National Portraits. P. Printing Office. Q. Court of Controllers of Imperial Clan. R. Marble Isle: a marble bridge leads to it. S. Five Dragon Pavilion. T. Great Ancestral Temple. U. Altar to the Gods of Land and Grain. V. Artificial Mountain. The Russian school lies just north of the Eastern gate near N. W. A summer-house. X. Military Examination Hall. Y. Plantain Garden, or Conservatory. Z. A Pavilion. _a._ Medical College. _b._ Astronomical Board. _c._ Five of the Six Boards. The Hanlin Yuen lies just above them. _d._ House of the Russian Mission. _e._ Colonial Office. _f._ Temple for Imperial worship. _g._ Imperial Observatory, partly on the wall. _h._ Hall of Literary Examination. _i._ Russian Church of the Assumption.