The Imperial Gardens as they once stood

The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Clarity (Traditional Chinese: 圓明園; Simplified Chinese: 圆明园; Pinyin: Yuánmíng Yuán, referred to in many books as Yuan Ming Yuan), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (Simplified Chinese: 御园; Traditional Chinese: 御園; Pinyin: Yù Yuán), was a complex of palaces and gardens 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the walls of Beijing, built in the 18th and early 19th century, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs (the Forbidden City inside Beijing was used only for formal ceremonies). Known for its extensive collection of garden and building architectures and other works of art (a popular name in China was the "Garden of Gardens", Simplified Chinese: 万园之园; Traditional Chinese: 萬園之園; Pinyin: wàn yuán zhī yuán), the Imperial Gardens were entirely destroyed by troops from Britain and France in 1860. Today, the destruction of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still regarded as a symbol of foreign aggression and humiliation in China. Template:GNU self-designed File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Template:GNU self-designed File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ;  ), a metropolis in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun; Mongolian: Манж Чин), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the ruling Chinese Dynasties. ... This article is about the Chinese Imperial palace in Beijing. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

History

A pavilion in the ruins of the Old Summer Palace

Initial construction began in 1707, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and was on a much smaller scale. It was intended as a gift for the emperor's fourth son, later Emperor Yongzheng. In 1725, under Emperor Yongzheng, the Imperial Gardens were greatly expanded. Yongzheng introduced the waterworks of the gardens which created some of the lakes, streams and ponds which greatly complemented the rolling hills and grounds. Yongzheng also named 28 scenic spots within the garden. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1360x1020, 657 KB) Summary Traditional Chinese: 萬花陣中心亭 Simplified Chinese: 万花阵中心亭 2002-05-11 08:22:34 UTC Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Old Summer Palace Xi Yang... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1360x1020, 657 KB) Summary Traditional Chinese: 萬花陣中心亭 Simplified Chinese: 万花阵中心亭 2002-05-11 08:22:34 UTC Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Old Summer Palace Xi Yang... Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal March 26 - The Acts of Union becomes law, making the separate Kingdoms of England and Scotland into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... This article needs cleanup, so as to conform to a higher standard. ... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ... The Yongzheng Emperor (December 13, 1678 - October 8, 1735) was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735. ...

By Emperor Qianlong's reign, the second expansion was well underway. Qianlong personally took interest and directed the expansion works. Qianlong also increased the number of scenic spots in the gardens to 40. By the middle of the 19th century, the Imperial Gardens had undergone expansion in one form or another for over 150 years. The Qianlong Emperor (September 25, 1711–February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...

Overview of the site

Part of the Old Summer Palace. Feb/2005

The Imperial Gardens were made up of three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, the Garden of Eternal Spring (Simplified Chinese: 长春园; Traditional Chinese: 長春園; Pinyin: Chángchūn Yuán), and the Elegant Spring Garden (Simplified Chinese: 绮春园; Traditional Chinese: 綺春園; Pinyin: Qǐchūn Yuán); together they covered an area of 3.5 km² (865 acres). They were almost 5 times the size of the Forbidden City, and 8 times the size of the Vatican City. They had hundreds of halls, pavilions, temples, galleries, gardens, lakes, etc. Several famous landscapes of southern China had been reproduced in the Imperial Gardens, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, making the Imperial Gardens one of the largest museums in the world. Some unique copies of literary work and compilations were also stored inside the Imperial Gardens. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 501 KB)Part of the Old Summer Palace taken by myself. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 501 KB)Part of the Old Summer Palace taken by myself. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; Traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of printed contemporary Chinese written language, simplified from traditional Chinese by the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ...

The Old Summer Palace is often associated with the European-style palaces (Xi Yang Lou) built of stone. The designers of these structures, the Jesuits Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, were employed by Emperor Qianlong to satisfy his taste for exotic buildings and objects. Sometimes, visitors unfamiliar with the former layout of the Old Summer Palace are misled to believe that it consisted primarily of European-style palaces. In fact, the area of the Imperial Gardens at the back of the Eternal Spring garden where the European-style buildings were located was small compared to the overall area of the gardens. More than 95% of the Imperial Gardens were made up of essentially Chinese-style buildings. There were also a few buildings in Tibetan and Mongol styles, reflecting the diversity of the Qing Empire. Xi Yang Lou (Chinese: 西洋楼; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit: Western Mansion(s)) are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Auspicious Objects, 1723-35, by Lang Shining (郎世宁) The Qianlong Emperor Viewing Paintings, 1746-c. ... Michel Benoist (Chinese: 蔣友仁; pinyin: , October 8, 1715 in Autun or Dijon, France – October 23, 1774 in Beijing, China of a stroke) was a Jesuit scientist, who stood in the service of the Chinese Qianlong Emperor for thirty years and is most noted for the waterworks he constructed for the emperor. ... The Qianlong Emperor (September 25, 1711–February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...

Destruction

Ruins of the European palaces

The Old Summer Palace in traditional Chinese painting

In 1860, during the Second Opium War, British and French expeditionary forces, having marched inland from the coast, reached Beijing (then known as Peking). On the night of October 6-7 French units diverted from the main attack force towards to the Old Summer Palace and began to loot the extensive palatial complex. They were quickly joined by local Chinese in an orgy of looting lasting 36 hours. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 535 KB) Summary photo taken by myself. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 535 KB) Summary photo taken by myself. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_zhengda. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_zhengda. ... Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ...

On October 18, 1860, the British general Lord Elgin,having not received the Chinese surrender and wishing to spare the local Beijing population from direct attack, took it upon himself to order the huge complex destroyed. This action was in retaliation for the imprisonment, torture, and execution of several British diplomatic envoys who had been promised safe conduct by the Qing government. It took 3,500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze and took three days for it to burn. is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (20 July 1811 – 20 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat, best known as Governor General of the Province of Canada and Viceroy of India. ...

Charles George Gordon, a 27-year-old captain in the Royal Engineers wrote:-

We went out, and, after pillaging it, burned the whole place, destroying in a vandal-like manner most valuable property which [could] not be replaced for four millions. We got upward of £48 apiece prize money….I have done well. The [local] people are very civil, but I think the grandees hate us, as they must after what we did the Palace. You can scarcely imagine the beauty and magnificence of the places we burnt. It made one’s heart sore to burn them; in fact, these places were so large , and we were so pressed for time , that we could not plunder then carefully. Quantities of gold ornaments were burnt, considered as brass. It was wretchedly demoralising work for an army.

One consolation for the Chinese was that the British and French looters preferred porcelain, much of which still graces English and French country houses, neglecting the bronze vessels locally prized for cooking and burial in tombs. Many such treasures dated back to the Shang, Zhou and Han dynasties and were up to 3,600 years old. Once the Summer Palace was reduced to a charred desert a sign was raised with an inscription in Chinese, reading that "this was the reward for perfidy and cruelty". The burning of the Summer palace was the last act in the Second Opium War or Arrow War^[1] Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) followed the legendary Xia Dynasty and preceded the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) in China. ... Zhou refers to Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) or Zhou state Zhou Dynasty (690 AD - 705 AD) Zhou (political division) — Zhou is the name of a political/administrative division of China. ... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 AD - 24 AD  - Abdication to Cao... Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Like the Forbidden City, no ordinary Chinese citizen had ever been allowed into the Summer Palace, it was used exclusively by the Imperial family. (See Personal narrative of occurrences during Lord Elgin's second embassy to China, 1860 by Henry Loch, 1869). The burning of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still a very sensitive issue in China today.

According to Prof. Wang DouCheng of the People's University in Beijing, citing historical records, not all of YuanMingYuan perished in the original burning.^[2] As time progressed, however, the place was also laid to ruin by Chinese warlords and bandits, as well as people during such events as the Cultural Revolution.

Criticism

For most Chinese, the act of burning the palace is perceived to be barbaric and ruthless. Even contemporary Frenchmen, such as Victor Hugo, disapproved of the actions of the British and French. In his "Expédition de Chine", he described the looting as, "'Two Robbers' broke into this museum, devastating, looting and burning, and left laughing and hand in hand with their bags full of treasures; one of the robbers is called France and the other Britain."^[3] In his letter Hugo hoped that one day France would feel guilty and return what it had plundered from China.^[4] Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced in French) (26 February 1802 — 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ...

Aftermath

Following this cultural catastrophe, the imperial court was forced to relocate to the old and austere Forbidden City where it stayed until 1924, when the Last Emperor was expelled by a republican army. Empress dowager Cixi built the Summer Palace (頤和園 - "The Garden of Nurtured Harmony") near the Old Summer Palace, but on a much smaller scale than the Old Summer Palace. Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_zuoshi. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_zuoshi. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_wanfang. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_wanfang. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... PÇ”yí (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ) (February 7, 1906–October 17, 1967) of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro ruling family was the last Emperor of China between 1908 and 1924 (ruling emperor between 1908 and 1911, and non-ruling emperor between 1911 and 1924), the twelfth emperor of the Qing Dynasty... Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi (Chinese: 慈禧太后; Wade-Giles: Tzu-hsi) (November 29, 1835–November 15, 1908), popularly known in China as the Western Empress Dowager (西太后), and officially known posthumously as Empress Xiaoqin Xian (孝欽顯皇后), was a... The Summer Palace in Beijing. ...

Only the European-style palaces survived the fire since - unlike the Chinese-style structures - they were made of stone . A few ruined stones of these European buildings still stand on the site today. This is maybe why unknowing visitors sometimes wrongly assume that the Old Summer Palace was made up only of European-style buildings.

A few Chinese-style buildings in the outlying Elegant Spring Garden also survived the fire. The Chinese imperial court restored these buildings and tried to rebuild the whole complex of the Imperial Gardens, but it was impossible to muster the money and resources for such an immense task due to the difficult situation of China at the time. In 1900, whatever buildings had survived or had been restored were burnt for good by the Western expeditionary forces sent to quell the Boxer Rebellion. Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

Most of the site was left abandoned and used by local farmers as agricultural land. Only in the 1980s was the site reclaimed by the Chinese government and turned into an historical site.

Future

There are currently some projects in China to rebuild the Imperial Gardens, but such moves are opposed on the grounds that they will destroy an important relic of modern Chinese history. Some members of the Chinese government consider that the ruined site as it is will teach future Chinese generations about the price of being dominated and humiliated by foreign powers. In addition, any rebuilding would be a colossal undertaking, and no rebuilding of above-the-ground structures has been approved. However, the lakes and waterways in the eastern half of the gardens have been dug up again and refilled with water, while hills around the lakes have been cleared of brushwood, recreating long forgotten vistas. Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_fanghu. ... Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_fanghu. ...

In February 2005, work was undertaken to reduce water loss from the lakes and canals in the Yuanmingyuan by covering a total of 1.33 square kilometres of their beds with a membrane to reduce seepage. The park administration has argued that prevention of water loss saves the park money, since water would have to be added to the lakes only once per year instead of three times. However, opponents of the project such as Professor Zhengchun Zhang of Lanzhou University fear that the measure will destroy the ecology of the park, which depends on the water seepage from the lakes and the connection between the lakes and the underground water system. It is also feared that reduced seepage from the lakes will disturb Beijing's underground water system which is already suffering from depletion. There are also concerns about the gardens, which are a designated heritage site of the city of Beijing, changing their natural appearance. This issue, when brought into the sight of the general public several weeks later, immediately caused an uproar from the press and became one of the hottest debates on the Chinese Internet due to the still-painful memory of foreign humiliation epitomized in the destruction of this once "Garden of Gardens (萬園之園)". The Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau (BEPB) is now (April 2005) conducting an assessment of the environmental impact of the measure. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lanzhou University, founded in 1908, (SC: 兰州大学, TC: 蘭州大學, PY: Lánzhōu Dàxué) is a famousuniversity located in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A partial copy of the palace was built recently in the southern city of Zhuhai, in Guangdong province, as an amusement park. Zhuhai waterfront Zhuhai Campus of Zhongshan University Zhuhai (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; lit. ... Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Location

The Old Summer Palace is located just outside the west gate of Tsinghua University, north of Peking University, and east of the Summer Palace. The postal address is: 28 Qinghua West Road, Beijing, 100084. Tsinghua University, (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is a university in Beijing, China. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Summer Palace in Beijing. ...

Modern photographs and historic depictions

A corner in the Old Summer Palace Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1360x1020, 814 KB) Summary Old Summer Palace 2002-05-11 08:14:00 UTC Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Old Summer Palace Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner...	Lake in the Yuan Ming Yuan without water Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 569 KB)Photograph of a dry lake bed in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ...	Historic drawing Image File history File links Lcv5r8tpalace-yuen-peking-Allom. ...	Historic drawing Image File history File links Yuanmingyuan_haiyan. ...
Huang Hua Zhen in the Western Mansions area ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 579 KB) Photograph of the Huang Hua Zhen in the Western Mansions area on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ...	Ruins of the Fang Wai Guan ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1105 KB) Photograph of the ruins of the Fang Wai Guan, a mansion in the Western Mansions area on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ...	A stoneboat in the Yuan Ming Yuan Image File history File linksMetadata Yuanmingyuan_creek. ...	Fuhai Lake Image File history File linksMetadata Yuanmingyuan_lake2. ...

See also

• Xiyanglou

Xi Yang Lou (Chinese: 西洋楼; pinyin: , lit: Western Mansion(s)) are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ...

References

1. ^ Britain's Forgotten Wars. Ian Hernon . Sutton 1998 . [Ian Hernon]
2. ^ Debate on whether to rebuild YuanMingYuan.[Wang Dou Cheng, et al]
3. ^ Letter:The sack of the summer palace to Captain Butler. [Victor Hugo]
4. ^ Splendors of a Bygone Age. [Angela Tsai and Wu Hsiao-ting]

External links

• (Chinese) Official site
• YuanMingYuan photo gallery 35 high quality photographs
• China Daily story on coating of the lake beds
• 1860 : Yuanmingyuan great catastrophe, Bernard Briese
• China's view of Europe - A Changing Perspective?,Perry W. Ma

Coordinates: 40°00′26″N, 116°17′33″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...