The Old Summer Palace is a treasure of Chinese garden art. It is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens", which means that there are various types of gardens here. Indeed, if it were still the same today as it was 140 years ago, this super giant garden would be the well-deserved "King of Gardens in the World." It was originally an unparalleled royal garden in the Qing Dynasty. Construction began in 1709 and was basically completed in 1809, which lasted a century. Since then, the Jiaqing, Daoguang and Xianfeng dynasties have repeatedly repaired and expanded it, which lasted more than 150 years. What people usually call the Old Summer Palace is actually composed of three circles: Old Summer Palace, Changchun and Qichun (later renamed "Wanchun"), with a total area of ??347 hectares. Its land construction area is 10,000 square meters larger than the Forbidden City, and its outer circumference is about 10 kilometers. The water area is equal to the Summer Palace. The three gardens are separated by walls; the Wanchun Garden is in the front, and the two gardens side by side at the back are the Old Summer Palace on the left and the Changchun Garden on the right. The Old Summer Palace is a waterscape garden. The water surface accounts for more than half of the entire garden area. Some landscapes are named after water as the theme. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, there are more than 140 scenic spots, which bring together the characteristics of several famous gardens and scenic spots in the south of the Yangtze River at that time, integrate the essence of ancient Chinese gardening art, and use the artistic technique of a garden within a garden to blend poetry and painting into ever-changing scenes. among. Among them, more than 50 scenic spots directly imitate famous gardens and scenic spots in other places, such as "Autumn Moon on Pinghu", "Spring Dawn on Su Causeway", "Three Ponds Reflecting the Moon", "Quyuan Fenghe", etc., all of which come from the ten scenic spots of the West Lake in Hangzhou. They not only imitate the architecture , even the name was copied. There are also "Wuling Spring Colors" imitating the Peach Blossom Spring, "Xifeng Beauty" imitating Lushan Mountain, "Stacked Stone Maze" imitating the Lion Grove, "Ruyuan" imitating the Zhan Garden, "Zhao He Pei" imitating the Crane Pavilion of Gushan, etc. etc., bringing together the essence of countless scenic spots and famous gardens in the world. There is also a Western-style garden scenic area in the Old Summer Palace. The most famous "Water Viewing Method" is a Western fountain, as well as a maze of thousands of flowers and a Western-style building, all of which have the style of the Italian Renaissance. There is also a model of Venice City in Fanghe River. The emperor could enjoy the "water city scenery" thousands of miles away while sitting on the bank of the mountain. The Old Summer Palace not only has extremely exquisite furnishings and decorations, but also collects and displays rare treasures, cultural relics, famous calligraphy and paintings, secret classics, bells and tripods, gold and silver jewelry and rare cultural relics in the country, which concentrates the essence of ancient culture. In 1860 and 1900, the Yuanmingyuan was looted and burned by the British, French and Eight-Power Allied Forces.
On October 18, 1860, the British and French forces began to burn the world-famous Qing Dynasty royal garden, the Old Summer Palace.
In the autumn breeze of October, we can’t help but miss the beauty of the classical garden of the Old Summer Palace, which was the model of garden art in the western suburbs in the past. As the British military chaplain said at that time: "There must be a poet, painter, art connoisseur, Chinese scholar and other geniuses who can write about the garden landscape, describe it to the fullest, and give you a slight idea..." The tragic ruins left after the disaster welcomed countless people to pay their respects in the 20th century, triggering people's imagination.
-The French writer Hugo praised the garden as a miracle of oriental art
The western suburbs of Beijing are picturesque, with not only green mountains stretching for hundreds of miles, but also flowing springs in the mountains. The plains in the southeast merge into the famous Kunming Lake and other rivers, lakes and swamps. From the Liao and Jin Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, rulers who established their capitals in Beijing successively built many garden palaces here. The Manchu royal family came to dominate the Central Plains from the still remote Northeast China. After settling in Beijing, they became obsessed with the beauty of the south of the Yangtze River. In addition, they learned about some luxurious European buildings from foreign missionaries (unfortunately they were not interested in its technology and culture), so they decided to Integrating the known beauty of the world into the royal Old Summer Palace.
The Old Summer Palace was built in 1709 until it was burned down in 1860. It lasted 151 years. Several generations of Qing emperors spent countless financial and material resources to build this unprecedented royal garden. The garden consists of three gardens: Old Summer Palace, Wanchun Garden and Changchun Garden, so it is also called the "Three Old Summer Palaces". The total area of ??the three gardens is 5,200 acres, which is 850 acres larger than the Summer Palace, the largest existing royal garden. The garden has a circumference of more than 10 kilometers and a construction area of ??160,000 square meters, which is equivalent to the construction area of ??the Imperial Palace in Beijing. There are more than 100 scenic spots in the three gardens, and countless pavilions, pavilions, corridors and pavilions, all surrounded by mountains and rivers.
The Old Summer Palace has inherited the excellent gardening art of China's past dynasties, brought together famous gardens and scenic spots across the country, and boldly absorbed Western architectural forms, resulting in a group of "Western-style buildings" that combine Chinese and Western styles.
Chinese gardens can be called a mixed form of landscape and architecture. They are different from Western gardens, which are mainly buildings, and Japanese gardens, which are mainly landscapes. The Old Summer Palace combines the three gardening styles of China, Japan and Western Europe. Its reputation has long spread to the West. It is as famous as the Palace of Versailles in France and is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens". The park also collects many unique secret books, famous calligraphy and paintings, Ding and Yi ritual vessels, gold and pearl treasures, and copper and porcelain antiques. It is one of the treasures of human culture. The famous French writer Hugo once described it in a letter to Captain Butler: "In a corner of the world, there is a world miracle. This miracle is called the Old Summer Palace. Art has two sources, one is ideal, and ideal The first is fantasy, which produces Eastern art. The Old Summer Palace's status in fantasy art is like the Parthenon's status in ideal art.
-The British and French forces robbed the Qing emperor. Later, the whole garden was burned down
When people today come to the ruins of the Old Summer Palace, they can only see the vaguely identifiable stone foundations, winding waterways and paths, only the Dashuifa and Yuanyingguan. The stone pillar is still standing there, overlooking the ruins and chaos, like a monument.
The French writer Hugo who caused this catastrophe angrily condemned him. The country and the British Communist Party jointly committed this atrocity and said: "On the judgment stand of history, one robber is called France and the other is called England. ”
After the British invaders launched the Opium War in 1840 to open the door to China, they demanded to open more concessions and send envoys to Beijing. When they were not satisfied, they launched the second Opium War in 1857. Napoleon III came to power. France also sent troops to divide the loot. In September 1860, the British and French forces landed in Tianjin and invaded the city of Beijing. Emperor Xianfeng fled to the Chengde Mountain Resort, leaving tens of thousands of garrison soldiers huddled within the city walls (the area within the current Second Ring Road). , the suburbs were plundered by the invading army. On October 6, the British and French forces stormed into the Old Summer Palace. A small number of Qing soldiers armed with swords and spears were defeated in a battle, and the minister who protected the garden had no choice but to commit suicide by throwing himself into the water. He was dazzled by the sight of the magnificent palace gardens. The invading army immediately began to loot wildly. Then, the coalition headquarters issued a notice that they could "rob freely", and more than 10,000 British and French soldiers rushed to and fro, rushing to enter the park, and everyone returned with a full load.
After many days of robbery, the British dictator Elgin proposed again: "The most feasible thing is to burn down the Old Summer Palace... This move can shock the Chinese emperor the most. British Prime Minister Palmerston not only agreed with this, but also said: "I would be very happy if the Beijing Palace was treated the same way." "A planned and even greater atrocity began.
On October 18, a disaster day in the history of the modern Chinese nation, 3,500 British troops holding torches once again entered the Old Summer Palace and lit fires everywhere. . More than 300 eunuchs, maids and craftsmen in the garden were killed in the flames. The huge palace was in flames for three days, and the smoke lingered for a long time. p>
After burning the Old Summer Palace, the British and French allied forces threatened the Qing court. If they did not surrender, they would invade the city and burn the palace. The corrupt and incompetent Manchu rulers immediately signed the "Beijing Treaty" in which they ceded territory and paid compensation. The invaders had to retreat.
-The Westernization Movement emerged after the catastrophe of the Old Summer Palace, and the tragedy led to national awakening and progress
From a cultural perspective, the destruction of the Old Summer Palace was an unprecedented tragedy in the history of human civilization. . Judging from the historical process, this tragic disaster of being backward and beaten shocked the knowledgeable Chinese people. In 1861, the second year after the disaster, the Westernization Movement to learn and introduce advanced foreign technology was launched. However, due to many obstacles, the country The goal of "self-strengthening" has not yet been achieved, and the Old Summer Palace itself, as well as the whole of Beijing and the whole of China, continues to suffer.
After the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace, the photos left behind can still show that most of the building remains are relatively intact. For more than thirty years, the Qing government still regarded this as a heavily guarded forbidden garden and carried out a series of restoration projects. Emperors Tongzhi and Guangxu and the Empress Dowager Cixi often visited here. However, due to constant internal and external troubles, the Qing government's financial resources were stretched thin. In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. Not only was the Summer Palace looted (later restored in 1903), but the ruins of the Old Summer Palace were also completely destroyed. The park management agency escaped, and the idle flag soldiers who had no way to make a living in the park and the gangsters and vagrants in the city gathered together to steal building materials.
During the Republic of China, the site was left unattended. Warlords from various factions and even many wealthy households came here to transport stones to build tombs and build gardens. During the past ten or twenty years, stolen carriages came almost every day, and the ruined garden simply became a ruin. "Stone Yard". It was not until the founding of New China that the ruins of the Old Summer Palace were protected and have been restored to a certain extent in recent years.
What is extremely sad is that the cultural relics from the Old Summer Palace stolen by the invaders have been on display and sold in European and American markets for hundreds of years. As late as 1987, there were reports of auctions of items such as the Old Summer Palace fountain clock in the New York market. The ruthless facts reveal to the Chinese people that those so-called propagators of "Western civilization" are actually so barbaric on Chinese soil. The disaster at the Old Summer Palace also aroused the self-esteem and self-improvement of countless Chinese people, who strived to get rid of the status of being discriminated against by the West and stand on their own in the world of nations.
If you travel through the tunnel of time and space, you will see countless splendid palaces from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to Qin Afang Palace, and you will also sadly witness the flames that turned them into ashes again and again. The cycle of buildings that have exhausted people's wealth and money and war and destruction constitute a passionate scene on the historical stage. I believe that with the progress of human civilization, this cycle of difficulties and easy destruction will end, and all the magnificent achievements of civilization will be left intact to future generations.