In the northeast, about 1,200 miles away from the capital of the Qing Kingdom, was the older, brilliant Shangjing City. The snow fell heavier here, and snowflakes the size of goose feathers darted and drifted to the ground. The streets and alleys of Shangjing looked as if they were covered by a layer of pure white wool. Snow piled up on the roofs of the manors with warm stoves. Black eaves peaked beneath the white snow and the contrast appeared unusually beautiful.
At the city gates, the palace, built against the mountain, could be seen in the distance. The black eaves of the palace roofs were a deeper color than those of the people's private residences. On the mountain, layers of snow-covered trees grew from the snowy rocks, waterfalls gradually weakened to icy creeks, and the stone paths became oblique and isolated. The winter mountain and the Qing Palace seemed to have merged into one entity.
