| Yuanmingyuan
- The Old Summer Palace (12th century, rebuilt
18th-20th centuries) other
sites in Beijing |
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The Old Summer Palace lies in total ruin, blasted into fragments by the Anglo-French invasion force during the 1860 Opium War. It is one of the most melancholy places I have ever visited. The sprawling compound has an aura of faded glory like the Roman Forum. Its ruined pathways, gutted pavilions, and unruly vegetation fill the place with a "sublime" horror.
A bit of history: The palace was first surveyed in the 12th century and had been developed into a network of gardens by the time of Emperor Qianlong's regimen the late 18th century. Then at his request, Jesuit architects designed structures in a European baroque vocabulary, including the 10,000 Flowers Maze (images 12-14).
During our visit we met with the director of restoration (left, on image 1) who surveyed the palace during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. He dreams of fully restoring the compound, but in my opinion, it is more lovely in its present state of tranquil ruin.
Bibliography:
All images copyright 1998-2001 Abe Ahn, Tim Ciccone
Storey, Robert. Beijing, Lonely Planet City Guide
Lonely Planet Publications. Hong Kong. 1996