Yuanmingyuan in the western suburb of Beijing is the collective name for the Garden of Perfection and Enlightenment, Garden of Eternal Spring and Garden of Beautiful Spring. Covering 350hectares of land and unrivalled in landscape architecture, Yuanmingyuan was the secondary palace of the Qing rulers. Its construction was undertaken by pooling manpower and materials of the whole country and continued for more than 100 years.

  Yuanmingyuan was first built at the beginning of the 18^th century. Originally, it was a garden given by Emperor Kangxi to his 4^th son, Yinzhen. After ascending the throne, Yinzhen started a large-scale expansion of the garden and then Yuanmingming became a political centre outside the Forbidden City, where many historic decisions were made and historical events took place. It was also a place where many seasonal festivities and celebrations were held.

  When the Second Opium War broke out in 1856, the Qing government dilly-dallyed between war and peace and lost several favorable opportunities. Eventually, as the British and French Allied Army advanced, the Qing army retreated again and again in defeat. Emperor Xianfeng fled to Rehe in September 1860. In October, Yuanmingyuan was plundered and set to fire by the British and French troops. Within a few days, the cultural artifacts and treasures in the garden which had been accumulated in the course of several generations were almost totally robbed or destroyed. The tragic destruction of the famous garden was a catastrophe in the modern history of civilization of China and the world.

  In 1900, when China was invaded by the allied army of Eight Powers, the few structures and ancient and famous trees in Yuanmingyuan that had survived destruction were thoroughly destroyed. The prosperity and decline of the famous garden indirectly reflected the history of rise and fall of the Qing dynasty. And today, the ruins of Yuanmingyuan have become a symbol of China’s modern history.