The Old Summer Palace is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, east of Haidian District. It was originally a large royal garden in the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of ??about 5,200 acres. Its layout is in the shape of an inverted Chinese character. The Old Summer Palace consists of three gardens: Yuanming Garden, Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden, with a total area of ??350 hectares.
Its land building area is as large as the Forbidden City, and its water area is equal to the Summer Palace. The Old Summer Palace brought together the characteristics of several famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River at that time, integrated the essence of ancient Chinese gardening art, and used the artistic technique of a garden within a garden.
Integrate poetic and artistic feelings into ever-changing scenes. The southern part of the Old Summer Palace is the imperial area, where the emperor conducts official business. There are 40 scenic spots scattered in the remaining areas, of which more than 50 scenic spots directly imitate famous gardens and scenic spots in other places.
For example, the Ten Scenes of West Lake in Hangzhou not only imitate the architecture, but also copy the names. What’s even more interesting is that there is also a Western-style garden scenic area in the Old Summer Palace. The most famous "Water Viewing Method" is a Western-style fountain, as well as a maze of thousands of flowers and a Western-style building.
Both have the style of the Italian Renaissance. There is also a model of Venice city in the lake. The emperor can enjoy the "water city scenery" thousands of miles away while sitting on the bank of the mountain.
The Old Summer Palace is a treasure house, which contains rare cultural relics such as famous people's calligraphy and paintings, secret classics, bells and tripods, gold and silver jewelry, etc., which concentrates the essence of ancient culture. The Old Summer Palace is also a garden of exotic trees and flowers, with millions of rare flowers and trees.
Westerners who have witnessed the Old Summer Palace in its entirety call it the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens". 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."
Regrettably, the British and French forces looted the Old Summer Palace in 1860. The buildings in the garden were burned down and cultural relics were looted. The miraculous and mythical Old Summer Palace was turned into ruins, with only broken walls left for tourists to pay their respects.
Extended information:
The Old Summer Palace was looted and burned by the British and French forces in 1860. On October 6, 1860, the British and French allied forces captured Deshengmen, Andingmen and other places in Beijing. Soldiers from Seng Gelinqin and Ruilin retreated to the Old Summer Palace area, and the British and French allied forces pursued them to the Old Summer Palace.
The officers and soldiers guarding the garden were outnumbered and fled. The French army first launched a robbery operation, and the British commander Grant approved the British army's entry into the park. Allied soldiers looted the garden's treasures and furnishings. British officials later estimated.
The looted cultural relics and treasures (gold, silver, gems, silks and antique furnishings, etc.) were worth as much as 6 million pounds. Rare books and Buddhist statues were destroyed due to ignorance of their value or inconvenience in transportation. The value of towers, porcelain, furniture, etc. is similar.
The French writer Victor Hugo once wrote: "One day, two robbers broke into the Old Summer Palace. One robber robbed and the other robber set fire to it. It turned out that 'victory' was the two robbers who carried out a robbery. The conquerors divided the loot equally, one filled his pockets and the other filled his chest, and then returned to Europe, arm in arm, smiling. This was the experience of the two robbers. One is called France and the other is called England."
Baidu Encyclopedia - Old Summer Palace