Photo Gallery

Yuanmingyuan - The Old Summer Palace (12th century, rebuilt 18th-20th centuries)

The Old Summer Palace lies in total ruin, blasted into fragments by the Anglo-French invasion force during the 1860 Opium War. It is a melancholy place, with an aura of faded glory like the Roman Forum. Its ruined pathways, gutted pavilions, and unruly vegetation fill the place with a sublime horror.

The site was first surveyed in the 12th century and had been developed into a network of gardens by the time of Emperor Qianlong's regime in 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 the 1998 visit the author 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.