Why did the British and French forces burn down the Old Summer Palace? Source: Morning News
■Which army burned down the Old Summer Palace?
After the Opium War, Western powers became more and more interested in China. They repeatedly asked the Qing government to open treaty ports. The Qing court was forced to use force and Xianfeng had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Tianjin in 1858. In early 1860, Britain and France requested to send envoys to Beijing to exchange treaties, but serious disagreements arose during the process. Britain and France immediately sent fleets from the south to the north, and soon captured Dagukou, Tianjin. Xianfeng then sent 26 British envoys to Beijing. Imprisoned in the Old Summer Palace, the British army and mercenary regiment (Indo-African Corps) and the French army attacked the Forbidden City.
Facing the advanced Rifle rifles of the British and French forces, Zeng Gelinqin's 30,000 Mongolian cavalry never regained their former glory and were completely defeated by the enemy. The British and French forces entered the Beijing area in early October. The first purpose of their trip was to rescue the hostages trapped in the Old Summer Palace. Therefore, the British and French forces jumped directly from the Victory Gate to the Forbidden City and came to the Haidian area. It is said that Gong Xiaogong, the son of the poet Gong Zizhen, was a British People looking for Yuanmingyuan provided help. The French army was the first to arrive at the Old Summer Palace on the evening of the 6th, and clashed with the soldiers guarding the Old Summer Palace. Since most of the Qing troops were on the front line of the Forbidden City, there were very few garrison troops in the Old Summer Palace. At that time, 30 eunuchs holding firearms fought with the enemy. Resistance, all died in battle, and they were all praised by the Qing emperor afterwards.
There have always been different views on the robbery of the Old Summer Palace. Some scholars believe that the robbery and arson started on October 6. Another view is that the French sent troops to control the Old Summer Palace and set up defenses, but did not take any measures. They were waiting for the British troops who were lost in the woods. They officially entered the Old Summer Palace after the British troops arrived the next day. The supreme commanders-in-chief of the British and French armies also visited some scenic spots of the Old Summer Palace with great interest. Everyone was stunned. A British officer said that even all the palaces in France combined would not be worth the size of the Old Summer Palace. In these soldiers In front of us, the Old Summer Palace is undoubtedly a real utopia. British officer Sven Howe said: "All the imagination that artists can express is presented here."
But these people who know how to appreciate sublime art have lost their conscience, and the supreme commanders of the two armies decided to A large-scale robbery of the Old Summer Palace was launched to make up for the war losses. During the robbery, the British army and the French army used different methods. The British army was organized and divided into small teams to carry out the robbery in an orderly manner, while the French army used more looting. However, because the British army's base camp was far away from the Old Summer Palace, it was difficult to go back and forth. The journey was longer, and secondly, the French army had experts in the appreciation of cultural relics. They plundered a large number of scrolls, calligraphy and paintings and other artistic treasures, while the British army robbed more of gold and silver vessels. Therefore, most of the treasures of the Old Summer Palace that are available today are stored in the French National Library and the Palace of Fontainebleau.
Second type:
The Old Summer Palace is said to be a "shame" for the people, and the past must be mentioned again in every crisis. But I have asked many people why the British and French allied forces burned down the Old Summer Palace, but not many people can answer. People take it for granted that the blood and fire nature of imperialism's external expansion determines where they go. barbaric behavior everywhere. However, it is unimaginable that when the moral standards of Britain and France only stayed at the level of burning, killing and looting, how could they create an unprecedentedly prosperous material civilization; if they were really just like the barbarians who burned down Rome Just as casually setting fire to Beijing, it is hard to imagine that almost countless ideological masters will be produced among them, and they will profoundly affect the development of the entire human society.
I noticed that the excuse used by the British and French allied forces to burn the Old Summer Palace was carefully covered up, as if there was something unspeakable in it. More than ten years ago, there was a popular movie called "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace", in which the British people burned the Old Summer Palace for no apparent reason. In fact, the shameful excuses used by the British and French forces to burn the Old Summer Palace can be publicly exposed, and the so-called reasons they used to cover up their heinous crimes should be resolutely refuted. However, in Chinese historical works, this matter is kept secret. At most, it is only mentioned in a few words and passed by, as if it is afraid of revealing some state secrets. How can people express so many opinions when they know so little about what happened.
Let’s get back to the subject and return to the issue of the Old Summer Palace.
Obviously, with the previous foreshadowing, I will look at this period of history from another angle and propose a new explanation.