 The Ruins Of Yuanmingyuan
Yuanmingyuan or the Garden of Perfection and Brightness, located on the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, is one of the five famous gardens built during the Qing Dyansty. With its charming landscape and numerous springs, the area has always been the site of gardens and parks. In 1723 when Qing Emperor Yongzheng succeeded the throne, he ordered Yuanmingyuan be built and its construction lasted over a period of 150 years.
In 1860, the British and French invaders entered Yuanmingyuan's gardens to plunder and burn during the Second Opium War(1856-1860).In 1900, Yuanmingyuan was again plundered by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers. Warlords and bandits stole or destroyed what was left. As a correspondent for the British newspaper, the Times, described in his dispatch on November 7 that year, every soldier on the spot tried to grab as many spoils as possible. Fires raged for three days and nights. Of the hundreds of pavilions,shrines, halls and other building complexes, only 29 in remote northern corner and in the lakes were unscathed. The Haiyantang Hall was left with only a few pillars, beams and its arch. The 12 bronze animals of zodiac were looted and taken out of the country with countless other precious objects from the palace. Lu Yanzhen, senior researcher in imperial court history with the Forbidden City said there must be a lot of timepieces-possibly the best of the period, but none are left. During their travels abroad after China opened to the outside world in 1979, leading Chinese historians , archaeologists and relics connoisseurs have had chances to view some of the looted relics in leading museums and libraries in Europe and North America. |
