■ Which army burned the Yuanmingyuan?
After the Opium War, western powers became more and more interested in China. They repeatedly asked the Qing government to open trading ports. The Qing court was forced to sign the Tianjin Treaty in 1858. At the beginning of 1860, Britain and France asked to send envoys to Beijing to exchange contracts, but there were serious differences in the process. Britain and France immediately sent a fleet from south to north, and soon occupied Dagukou in Tianjin. Xianfeng immediately imprisoned 26 British envoys sent to Beijing in Yuanmingyuan, so the British and mercenary corps (Indo-African Corps) attacked the Forbidden City with the French army.
In the face of the advanced rifles of the British and French allied forces, Zeng Gelinqin's 30,000 Mongolian cavalry never recovered its former glory and was completely defeated by the enemy. The British and French allied forces entered Beijing in early 10. The first purpose of their trip is to rescue the hostages trapped in Yuanmingyuan. So the British and French allied forces directly skipped the Forbidden City from the Victory Gate and came to Haidian. It is said that Gong Hong Xiao, the son of the poet Gong Zizhen, helped the British find the Yuanmingyuan. The French army first arrived at Yuanmingyuan on the evening of the 6th, and clashed with the soldiers guarding Yuanmingyuan. Because most of the Qing army is in the Forbidden City, there are few troops stationed in Yuanmingyuan. At that time, 30 eunuchs armed with firearms resisted the enemy and were all killed. Afterwards, he was praised by the Qing emperor.
There have always been different views on the theft of Yuanmingyuan. Some scholars believe that robbery and arson began on June 6, 65438. Another view is that France sent troops to control Yuanmingyuan, but did not take measures. They were waiting for the British army lost in the Woods, and they didn't officially enter the Yuanmingyuan until the British army arrived the next day. The commanders-in-chief of the British and French armies also visited some scenic spots in Yuanmingyuan with great interest, and everyone was shocked. A British military officer said that even the whole French palace could not compare with the Yuanmingyuan. In front of these soldiers, Yuanmingyuan is undoubtedly a real utopia. British military officer Swinhao said: "All the imaginations that artists can show are presented here."
However, these people who know how to appreciate lofty art have lost their conscience, and the supreme commanders of the two armies decided to launch a large-scale robbery on Yuanmingyuan to make up for the war losses. In the process of robbery, the British and French used different methods. The British army robbed in organized and orderly teams, while the French army robbed more. However, because the British base camp is far from Yuanmingyuan, the round trip is long. Secondly, there are experts in cultural relics appreciation in the French army, who plundered a large number of artistic treasures such as scrolls, paintings and calligraphy, while the British army plundered more gold and silver vessels. Therefore, most of the treasures of Yuanmingyuan that can be found now are kept in the National Library of France and Fontainebleau Palace.
The second type:
Yuanmingyuan is said to be the "shame" of the people, and every crisis will bring up the past. However, I have asked many people what was the reason or excuse for the British and French allied forces to burn the Yuanmingyuan in those years, and not many people answered. People take it for granted that the essence of blood and fire of imperialism's external expansion determines the barbarism wherever it goes. However, it is hard to imagine how Britain and France can create unprecedented material civilization and prosperity when their moral standards only stay above the level of burning, killing and looting; If they really set fire to Beijing just like the barbarians who burned Rome in those years, it is hard to imagine that there will be almost countless thinkers among them, which will profoundly affect the development of the whole human society.
I noticed that the excuse of the British-French Coalition forces burning Yuanmingyuan was carefully covered up, and it seemed to be really hidden. Ten years ago, there was a very popular movie called Burning Yuanmingyuan, in which the British inexplicably burned Yuanmingyuan. In fact, the shameful excuse of the British and French allied forces burning Yuanmingyuan can be publicly exposed, and the so-called reasons they used to cover up their heinous crimes should be resolutely refuted. However, in China's historical works, he kept it a secret and only mentioned it in a few words at most, as if afraid of revealing any state secrets. How can people express so many feelings when they know little about what happened?
Let's get to the point, and then go back to the Yuanmingyuan. Obviously, with the previous preparation, I will look at this history from another angle and put forward a new explanation.