Gateway called Kuo-chieh-t’a (“Tower which Bestrides the Road,” also known as the “Cloud Terrace”), in Hebei Province. Inscribed with date corresponding to 1345, during the Yuan dynasty. PHOTO BY JOAN LEBOLD COHEN.
In the late thirteenth century the Mongols, nomadic invaders from Central Asia, conquered China. During their rule as the Yuan dynasty the Mongols borrowed extensively from other traditions, creating a uniquely multicultural political and cultural environment. While many aspects of Mongolian rule over China