A Luxurious Palace

Writer Victor Hugo compared the Old Summer Palace to Versailles for its grandeur, magnificence, and beauty. Indeed, the Gardens of Perfect Brightness surpassed all other imperial palaces in China. While today the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace inspire awe among visitors to Beijing, the Yuan Ming Yuan was an even more impressive palace.

Standing before its current ruins, it is difficult for visitors to imagine the majesty of the Old Palace. Covering nearly 3.5 square kilometers and located about ten kilometers from the center of Beijing, the Old Summer Palace consisted of three distinct gardens, each with its own unique characteristics.

The first garden, the Garden of Perfect Brightness, which gave the entire site its name, featured diverse views with artificial lakes and hills that recreated landscapes typical of the Chinese Empire. The second, the Garden of Elegant Spring, was dotted with lakes and pavilions where Emperor Jiaqing wrote his poetry. The third and smallest, the Garden of Eternal Spring, housed the pavilions of the emperor’s concubines. This garden also included European-style buildings, the ruins of which can still be seen today.

Together, the gardens formed a city within a city, complete with shops and palaces, but one closed off to ordinary people. Only the emperor and his court could enjoy its beauty.

When Franco-British troops entered these gardens, they were awestruck by the splendor of the site. Even the officers recognized that they were committing a sacrilege by setting fire to these palaces, unparalleled in their beauty.