Add a review about Yuanminyuan

Beijing Imperial Palace of Yuanminyuan (from Chinese its name translates as "Gardens of Perfect Clarity") is better known as the Old Summer Palace, as opposed to the Summer Palace of Ikeiun. Once, Yuanminyuan served as the country residence of Chinese rulers, where the emperor spent almost more time than in the official residence of the Gugun - Forbidden City. At least, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty preferred Yuanmingyuan to Guogun, which they used for official receptions.

Architectural ensembles of the summer palaces of Yuanminyuan and Iheiun once represented a single whole. The territory of the palace and park complexes began 8 km to the northwest of the Forbidden City in the center of Beijing, and continued for many tens of kilometers to the most Western Mountains.

The first country residence in the Summer Palace - the Golden Hill Palace - was built in 1153 year under the Jin Dynasty . Then almost every emperor of China built or reconstructed something here . In the 18th century, under the Emperor Kangxi, many buildings were erected, the construction of gardens began, his son - Yongzheng - ordered to build numerous e ponds . And most large-scale construction of the Old Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan was deployed under Emperor Qianlong in the 1746-59 biennium ., while it is an old palace has been given more time, Iheyun was lined up as if "in addition" .

European architects took part in the construction of the palace. Under the direction of Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benois several European-style buildings were erected. Yuanminyuan even got the name "Chinese Versailles", and the garden that was destroyed near it was a real pearl of the palace park architecture. Its territory was 5 times higher than the Gugun and 8 times the Vatican. In the palace, priceless cultural monuments of the Qin and Han dynasties were kept: collections of porcelain, Chinese painting, books, ivory, jasper, jade, bronze.

Today Yuanmingyuan is a picturesque ruins in a thicket of trees.

Unfortunately Yuanmingyuan became the biggest victim of time. The infamous fire of 1860, preceded by the pillage of imperial residences by European soldiers, destroyed almost all the buildings of the palace ensemble. For the Summer Palace of Ikeun, these events were the starting point for renovation, but the Old Summer Palace was never restored.

The works of art that were stored in Yuanmingyuan were not buried in the fire, but smuggled to Europe . According to the testimony of one of the participants events officer of the British troops of Charles George Gordon, "one can hardly imagine the beauty and magnificence of the palace burnt us" . Today Yuanminyuanya treasures can be seen in the National Museum of English, in French, "China Museum", but r statehood Library of Paris presents the finest Chinese watercolors, among which about 40 images palace complex Yuanminyuan in his "prime" .

Today Yuanmingyuan is a picturesque ruins in the thickets of trees - and they look almost like ancient as survived namely fragments of buildings in the "Western" style, built of stone. The classical "Chinese" part was traditionally built of wood and died in the fire. The ruins are surrounded by traditional artificial lakes with picturesque islands and labyrinths of canals, which are traditional for Chinese parks.

Unfortunately, time does not go to the benefit of preserving the Old Summer Palace: what was not destroyed by fire and time is gradually being taken away for souvenirs. In the photos of the beginning of the twentieth century, the walls of Yuanmingyuan are more preserved, now they are more like piles of stones. Several times the question was raised about the restoration of the Old Summer Palace, but so far it has been inconclusive. In addition to the ruins of it resembles a miniature replica of the palace in the southern city of Zhuhai.
Maze in the Imperial Gardens, Yuanmingyuan, Beijing Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan
Maze in the Imperial Gardens, Yuanmingyuan
Park, Yuanmingyuan, Beijing Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan
Yuanmingyuan Park, Yuanmingyuan Ruins
European Palace, Yuanmingyuan, Beijing Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanminyuan
Ruins of the European Palace, Yuanminyuan
Ruins, Yuanminyuan, Beijing Yuanminyu Hb
Yuanmingyuan Ruins, Yuanmingyuan
Temple, Yuanmingyuan, Beijing Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan Yuanmingyuan
temple Yuanmingyuan