original text
old summer palace destruction
The destruction of Yuanmingyuan is an immeasurable loss in the cultural history of the motherland and the world!
Located in the northwest suburb of Beijing, Yuanmingyuan is a world-famous royal garden. It consists of Yuanmingyuan Garden, Wanchun Garden and Changchun Garden, so it is also called Yuanming Three Gardens. In addition, there are many small gardens, which are distributed in the east, west and south of Yuanmingyuan. The stars are arched around Yuanmingyuan.
In the Yuanmingyuan, there are magnificent halls and exquisite pavilions; There are "buying and selling streets" symbolizing lively markets, as well as mountains and rivers and countryside symbolizing rural scenery. Many scenic spots in the park are modeled after those in other places, such as Anlan Garden in Haining, Lion Forest in Suzhou, Autumn Moon in Pinghu and Leifeng Sunset in Hangzhou West Lake.
There are also many scenes based on the poetry of ancient poets, such as Penglai Yaotai and Wuling Chunjing. There are not only national buildings in the park, but also western landscapes. Strolling in the garden is like roaming the distant south and enjoying the beautiful scenery at home and abroad; Wandering around, as if in a fantasy realm.
Yuanmingyuan is not only magnificent in architecture, but also contains the most precious historical relics. From the bronze ritual vessels in the pre-Qin period to the famous painters and painters in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties and all kinds of rare treasures. Therefore, it was the largest museum and art gallery in the world at that time.
1860101On October 6th, British and French forces invaded Beijing and invaded Yuanmingyuan. They robbed the garden of everything they could take away; If you can't move it, use carts or animals to carry it; If it can't be shipped, it will be destroyed at will. In order to destroy the criminal evidence, more than 3000 intruders were ordered to set fire to the garden on June 18 and June 19.
The fire burned for three days and nights, and thick smoke enveloped the whole city of Beijing. China, the treasure of garden art and the essence of architectural art, was reduced to ashes in this way.
Extended data
Historical background
The garden art achievements of Yuanmingyuan are generally regarded as not only embodying the splendid culture of feudal China, but also exposing the profligacy of feudal emperors. By the middle of Qing Dynasty, the science and technology of the whole country had fallen far behind the West, and class contradictions were becoming increasingly acute. 1840 (20 years of Daoguang), western colonialists provoked the war of aggression against China-the first opium war; Subsequently, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution against the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty broke out in China.
1856 10, with the support and cooperation of Russia and the United States, Britain and France jointly launched a new war of aggression against China-the Second Opium War. Its purpose is to grab greater colonial interests. First, they started the Guangzhou War twice, but both failed to meet their expectations. In order to exert direct pressure on the Qing government, the capital of Chen Bing was decided. The invading army approached Tianjin1May 858, and the Qing government was forced to sign the Tianjin Treaty with Britain, France, Russia and the United States respectively.
1860 (the tenth year of Xianfeng) In July, the fleet of British and French aggressor troops rushed out of Dagukou again, and under the guise of the exchange of contracts between British and French ministers in Beijing, they forcibly pushed forward and at the same time induced them to make peace. However, the conditions are getting more and more harsh, and the purpose is to force the Qing court to submit. Faced with the strategies of the invaders, the corrupt and incompetent Qing government made up its mind to beg for peace, and hesitated to formulate a defense strategy.
As a result, the fighter plane was lost, causing the invading army to go straight to Tongzhou. On September 2 1 day, China's army lost the decisive battle at Baliqiao in Tongzhou. The next morning, Emperor Xianfeng fled from Yuanmingyuan to chengde mountain resort in a hurry. It's called "Traveling to the North", but in fact, regardless of ancestral home, it flies away. As a result, the capital has no owner, officials are scattered, the soldiers are in a state of chaos, and the people are frightened, which fundamentally shakes the firm resistance to the aggressors.
1860, 10 On June 6, the British and French allied forces bypassed the northeast suburb of Beijing and went straight to Yuanmingyuan. At that time, Sang Linqin and his remnants resisted in the north of the city for a while and then fled. The French army went first, passed Haidian in the afternoon and arrived at the gate of Yuanmingyuan Grand Palace in the evening. At this time, more than 20 skilled eunuchs in Yuanmingyuan were fighting with the enemy at the entrance to Jindemen.
"Don't be afraid of being killed, go forward bravely" and fight bravely. However, in the end, Ren Liang, the "Eight-product Head" of Yuanmingyuan, died in the line of duty. At 7 pm, the French invaders captured the Yuanmingyuan. Wenfeng, Minister of Landscape Management, died in Fuhai.
1860 10 10 On October 7th, after the leaders of British and French aggression against China invaded Yuanmingyuan, they immediately "sent three British and French committees to discuss and distribute the treasures in the garden." On the same day, French army commander Montaubon wrote to the French Foreign Minister: "I ordered French members to pay attention to the most valuable articles in art and archaeology first. This trip will be dedicated by you to your Emperor (Charles Louis Napolé on Bonaparte), which is extremely rare in France and will be kept in the French Museum.
"British commander Grant also immediately sent officers to try their best to collect things that should belong to Britain. "The day after the British and French invaders entered the park, they could no longer resist the temptation of items. The officers and men rushed forward to rob in droves, and the wolves devoured the treasures such as gold, silver, culture and art in the park.
According to the descriptions of British and French officers, priests and journalists who witnessed the looting, officers and men, British and French people flocked to Yuanmingyuan from all directions in order to seize the treasure, and they were eager to take whatever they wanted. They beat each other and even fought for the treasure.
Because there are so many treasures in the garden, they don't know what to take at the moment. Some moved cloisonne porcelain bottles, some coveted embroidered robes, some chose high-grade leather clothes, and some got wall clocks inlaid with pearls and jade. Some carry big bags, which are full of all kinds of treasures. Some people put gold bars and leaves in the big pockets of their coats; Some are wrapped in brocade; Some hats are filled with rubies, pearls and crystals; Some people wear jade collars around their necks.
There is a mountain of high-grade silks and satins in one wing, which is said to be enough for half of Beijing residents, and all of them are carried away by soldiers in carts. A British officer snatched a golden Buddha statue from a temple with 500 Buddha statues, worth 1 200. A French officer robbed property worth 600,000 francs. The treasure plundered by the son of Montaubon, commander-in-chief of the French army, was worth 300 thousand francs and filled several carriages.
A British private named Hollis once stole two golden Buddha pagodas (all three stories, one 7 feet high and the other 6.4 feet high) and a lot of other treasures from the garden, and found seven strong men to carry them back to the barracks for him. This man got the nickname "China Zhan Mu" because he plundered and enjoyed his life in Yuanmingyuan. In addition to robbery, the invaders destroyed countless things.
Several rooms were full of silks and satins, and clothes were dragged out of the box and thrown all over the floor. People can almost cover their knees when they walk into the room. The engineer with a big axe smashed all the furniture and took the jewels from it. Some people break big mirrors, others shoot candlesticks for fun.
Most French soldiers waved sticks and smashed everything they couldn't take with them. 1860 When the French army temporarily evacuated Yuanmingyuan on June 9, this beautiful garden was destroyed.
Baidu Encyclopedia-The Destruction of Yuanmingyuan