YUANMINGYUAN PARK, Haidian (Beijing), China (2001)

Yuanmingyuan (圓明園), the Old Summer Palace was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District. It is 8 km (5 mi) northwest of the walls of the former Imperial City section of Beijing. Widely perceived as the pinnacle work of Chinese imperial garden and palace design, it was known for its extensive collection of gardens, its building architecture and numerous art and historical treasures. Constructed throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Palace was the main imperial residence of Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty and his successors, and where they handled state affairs. During the Second Opium War, French and British troops captured the palace on 6 October 1860, looting and destroying the imperial collections over the next few days. As news emerged that an Anglo-French delegation had been imprisoned and tortured by the Qing government, with 19 delegation members being killed, the British High Commissioner to China, James Bruce, retaliated by ordering the complete destruction of the palace on 18 October, which was then carried out by troops under his command.

Merci à Daniel.