6. RUINS OF YUANMINGYUAN

(Yuan Ming Yuan Yi Zhi)

　
Yuanmingyuan (the Garden of Perfection and Brightness) is actually  three gardens. It used to be the summer palace in Qing Dynasty (please notice that it is older than the Summer Palace, the later one being one of the most visited places in Beijing now). The whole garden was destroyed  by Anglo-French joint force in 1860. The whole grounds were set on fire,
and treasures were plundered.
Since most the buildings were wooden structures, almost nothing escaped the fires, except in on corner of the garden there still stand some broken stone pillars and collapsed arches. This is a group of Western-style Renaissance buildings to the north of the Garden. They were designed by Western architects employed by the Qing court at the time, and constructed by Chinese artisans. From the ruins we still can imagine out the grandeus of the palaces.
　

　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
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Last modified: July. 6, 2002

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