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| The Ruins of the Yuanmingyuan (The Garden
of Perfection and Light) |
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In a quiet section of the suburbs of Beijing to the northwest of
Qinghua University, there once stood a complex of gardens known
as the Yuanmingyuan. Built in the Qing Dynasty, this "garden
of gardens" was made up of the Garden of Perfection and Light
(Yuanmingyuan), and the Garden of Ten Thousand Springtimes (Wanchunyuan).
The work of building the garden went on over a period of 150 years,
beginning in around 1700. The grounds had a circumference of 10
kilometers and occupied an area of more than 347 hectares. Of the
hundreds of large and small buildings, which once stood here, all
that remains are a few ruins in stone, a sorry reminder of past
greatness.
On October 5, 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Armies occupied the
town of Haidian in the northwest suburbs of the capital, and on
October 7 the mad plunder of the garden began. Finally, Lord Elgin's
cavalry set the gardens on fire, leaving them to burn for three
days and three nights. After their retreat, repairs were begun,
but in 1900 the Eight-Power Allied Forces, leaving it in completer
ruin, brought further destruction upon the garden. Before long,
members of the imperial household and the warlords of the early
Republican period took whatever could be made use of from out of
the rubble, including wood, stones, bricks or tiles, away.
Visitors can now stroll about the ruins and view the remains of
the following sites:
1. the "Vista of the Square Teapot" on the northeast bank
of the Sea of Fortune (Fuhai);
2. the Green Mountain Hut near the northwestern gate;
3. the Jade Islet of Sages in the middle of the Sea of Fortune;
4. the Magnanimity of the Seas and Hills in the West Lake of the
Garden of Eternal Spring;
5. Sravasti City, modeled after the capital of the ancient Indian
state of Kosala, which was a repository for statues of the Buddha.
The ruins of the high walls of this "city" can still be
traced today;
6. the Source of Culture Pavilion (Wenyuange), which housed the
collection of books known as the Complete Library in the Four Branches
of Literature. Besides the remains of the pavilion, one will also
notice numerous specimens of Taihu Lake stone lying abandoned in
a pool in its courtyard. In addition, other scattered stone fragments
and the flagstones from stone paths can be found in various spots
throughout the surrounding hills and meandering streams.
The most striking ruin in the whole garden is the complex of Western-
style buildings, the construction of which began in 1746, the 10th
year of Emperor Qianlong' s reign. Situated near the northern wall
of the Garden of Eternal Spring, these buildings were designed by
the Jesuits Castiglione and Benoit. They included the Observatory
and Hall of Tranquility, which were decorated with fine fountains
and pools in the style of Versailles. In addition, their roofs and
walls were embellished with glazed tiles in brilliant colors.
It is hoped that before long the splendor of the garden will be
restored and that this exquisite cultural relic, once the private
playground of emperors, will be open to visitors from all over the
world.
In 1977, the Beijing municipality established a committee to undertake
the renovation of the Yuanmingyuan Garden, the first organization
of its kind to be set up since the destruction of the garden. Some
of the stone carvings removed from the garden are now being returned
from places such as Beijing University. |
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