The Old Summer Palace, known in Chinese as the "Gardens of Perfect Clarity" (Yuánmíng Yuán, 圆明园) served as a retreat for the imperial Qing court before it was looted and leveled in 1860 during the second Opium War by British and French troops under the command of James Bruce, the Earl of Elgin, in retaliation for the torture and killing of troops sent to negotiate with the Qing government.
Today it is a haunting but melancholy place, with the ruins only hinting at what was once a resplendent complex of fountains, gardens and a unique blend of Chinese and European architecture, much of it designed by Jesuits employed by Emperor Qianlong.
The original imperial retreat, initiated in the early 1700s under Emperor Kangxi, consisted of three gardens: Yuanming Yuan, the Garden of Eternal Spring (Chángchūn Yuán, 长春园) and the 10,000 Springs Gar...
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Admission:
RMB 10 to enter the main gate, RMB 15 to visit the ruins, RMB 10 to see a model of the gardens