Chinese President Hu Jintao put aside his official duties on Wednesday to
soak up the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the centuries-old Indian monument to love
that has dazzled world leaders and celebrities alike.
China's President Hu Jintao
(R) and his wife Liu Yongqing pose in front of the historic Taj Mahal in
the northern Indian city of Agra November 22, 2006. Hu said on Wednesday
Beijing was not seeking "selfish gains" in South Asia and was willing to
work with New Delhi to push for an early settlement to a decades-old
border dispute. [Reuters]
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Hu, accompanied by
his wife, Liu Yongqing, strolled around the white marble monument built by
Mughal emperor Shahjahan in the 17th century as a symbol of his enduring love
for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
"The wonder of the world and a treasure for human beings," Hu wrote in the
visitor's book after a 45-minute tour of the monument, accompanied by dozens of
Chinese and Indian officials and watched over by scores of police in the
complex.
As he entered the monument complex through its east gate, Hu stopped for a
moment and took a step back as he looked at the onion-shaped marble dome, as if
struck by its beauty, and then smiled.
The Chinese leader, dressed in a black coat and trousers with a white shirt,
was taken to the tomb which houses the marble cenotaphs of Mumtaz and Shahjahan,
below which lie their graves, side by side.
Before entering the revered tomb, Hu and his wife had red shoe covers put on
their feet.
The Chinese leader listened attentively as officials explained the history of
the Taj Mahal, or "crown palace' in Urdu, which was completed in the middle of
the 17th century after 22 years of building involving more than 20,000 workers.
Hu and his wife then sat on a marble bench with the Taj as a backdrop and got
themselves clicked, a ritual millions of ordinary tourists and world leaders
have followed.
Hu arrived in Agra, a crowded and polluted town 200 km (125 miles) south of
New Delhi, earlier on Wednesday, with hundreds of policemen sealing off his
route as well as the Taj Mahal.