Source: Guangzhou Daily
On October 18, 1860, the Old Summer Palace was set on fire by British and French Allied Forces . Yesterday, the Old Summer Palace has been killed for 160 years. When people see it, they only see a pile of broken stone rubble and ruins. It is hard to imagine its once peerless charm and magnificence. How beautiful was the Old Summer Palace before it was burned? Hugo used four words to describe it: it looks like a moon palace. Its destruction is a disaster for human civilization and an eternal national pain for the Chinese.
Please use marble, white marble,
bronze and porcelain to build a dream,
cedar as a roof sash,
covered with silk and gems,
built a temple here, harems there,
placed statues of gods, decorated with glazed,
decorated with gold and powder.
Ask the architect of poet
to build one thousand and one dreams for one thousand and one night,
add gardens, square pools, and
one eye fountain.
Please imagine a fairyland in human fantasy.
Its appearance is a palace and a temple...
—— Victor Hugo
This extremely gorgeous and dreamy text comes from the French writer Hugo. What it describes is the grand occasion before the death of the Old Summer Palace.
The more beautiful the text, the more heartbreaking the disaster it has experienced.
On October 18, 1860, the Old Summer Palace, known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens", was set on fire by the British and French coalition forces. "For two consecutive days, the black clouds formed by thick smoke have been floating above the prosperous and magnificent hometown in the past. The breeze blowing from the northwest blows the dense black clouds towards Beijing. The thick smoke brings a large number of hot embers, surging wave after wave, falling silently on the streets and alleys. The sunlight is covered by black smoke and thick clouds, like a lasting solar eclipse. The dark red fire light shines on the faces of the busy soldiers, making them like a group of devils, cheering and thrilling for the destruction of unparalleled treasures in the world."
Now, 160 years have passed. In these 160 years, there are endless regrets, unforgettable pain, and unforgettable shame and alarm bells that are always on the roof.
The ruins are speechless, and I dream about it several times.
⬇ Technology restores the appearance of the Old Summer Palace before it was burned⬇
The picture is from the documentary film "The Old Summer Palace"
The beauty of the Old Summer Palace
月官网
月官网 was built around 1707, that is, the 46th year of the Kangxi reign. It was originally the imperial garden of the fourth son of the emperor Yinzhen . Emperor Kangxi wrote a plaque of "The Old Summer Palace" for it and visited the park many times to have banquets.
Starting from Yongzheng, he has been in the Yuanmingyuan for nearly 140 years since Qianlong, Jiaqing , Daoguang , and Xianfeng emperors.
The Old Summer Palace represents the highest standard of Chinese royal garden art in the 18th century and is known as "the model of all gardening art in China."
Qushui Island, pavilions, pavilions, pavilions, staggered and arranged.
magnificent and gorgeous, beautiful, as brilliant as white jade.
overlooking the sky, the scenery is full of scenery and a vast sky.
These beautiful words that are distorted can be used on it.
People often say: Greek has the Parthenon, Egypt has the pyramid, Rome has the Colosseum, Paris has the Notre Dame, and the Old Summer Palace in the East. If we say, we have never seen it, but we have dreamed of it. This is some kind of shocking and unknown masterpiece, vaguely visible in the indescribable morning light, like the silhouette of an Asian civilization glimpsed on the horizon of European civilization.
- Hugo "Letter to Captain Butler on the British and French Allied Forces Expedition to China"
"The Chinese Emperor's Summer Palace is very famous. During the expedition, I have been imagining its beauty. When I was really in it, its luxury still shocked me... Whether it is an officer or a soldier, everyone's feelings are the same, and there is no longer a garden that can match it."
" A British officer said that all the royal castles and palaces in France are not as good as the Old Summer Palace."
"The summer palace is full of palaces, full of antiques, books, silk, satin and various treasures. This is a scene in the 1,000 nights, a kind of illusion. This is a reality that cannot be imagined in front of us. It must be explained and described by a person who combines poets, painters, connoisseurs, historians and Chinese scholars. ”
—Quoted from the documentary film "The Old Summer Palace"
The Sorrow of the Old Summer Palace
On October 6, 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded the northwest suburbs of Beijing. The remnants of the Qing army fled without fighting, and the invading army rushed to the Old Summer Palace. When the French army arrived at the Old Summer Palace, Emperor Xianfeng had fled to the summer resort more than 20 kilometers away. The empire's army had run away, and only 20 eunuchs rose up to resist. From October 7, the British and French invading troops rushed into the Old Summer Palace to plunder. Billions of cultural relics were looted. Those who could not be taken away were attacked and destroyed.
On October 18 and 19, more than 3,000 British soldiers set fires everywhere in the Old Summer Palace for two consecutive days. The fire did not go out for three days and nights, and a famous garden was tragically burned.
This kind of destruction is particularly cruel and humiliating because it is not even destroyed by nature, accidents, force majeure, but by others. It was robbed by others and was forcibly destroyed.
But in the eyes of those destructionists, this plunder turned into naked show-off. In Hugo's words, "This is the story of two robbers. ”
The British and French light infantry , artillery, North African cavalry, Queen Dragoon , even Indian soldiers and coolies, as well as local bandits who came to hear the news, all of them widened their eyes, burned with greed, countless voices were whispering, the most precious thing was taken away, we were going in, it was our turn, right?
A military call created a complete panic. Everyone rushed up and pushed away the sentry standing guard and began to collect their favorite things... They were crowded and cheered in various languages. Some people buried their heads in the queen's jewelry boxes with red paint; others were almost submerged in piles of silk and brocade. Some people were hung with large strings of pearls on their chests, putting the rubies, sapphires and crystal stones into their pockets, underwear, and military caps. Some people picked up the clock and wall clock and walked out. In order to remove the gems inlaid on the furniture, the engineers used an axe. Some small fires were triggered. Some people shouted "fighting the fire". Silk, brocade and precious marten were used to extinguish the flames without hesitation. It was a crazy dream!
——Diary of French military officer Earl Earl Earl
We burned down the Emperor's Summer Palace, called the Old Summer Palace.
You listened, it took 3,500 people, and it took two days to complete the ignition work. You should have a specific concept of the wide area of the fire now?
Hundreds of buildings were burned to ashes.
I have collected a few beautiful things from the Old Summer Palace. I think everyone in the family can get a gift.
I also have a luxurious spoil: the emperor's imperial seal! Regarding these things, I will tell you more surprises after I get home.
—Letter from British Lieutenant George Orgood to his mother
Comparison of the past and present of the Old Summer Palace
Some things can be rebuilt if they are gone; some things can disappear forever if they disappear.
will be beaten if they fall behind. Only when they are strong can they prosper.
This is what we have paid,
like the Old Summer Palace teaches us.
But today,
dare to say that we have confidence to say: in the past like
, we will always remember that bullying like
will never happen again.
Don’t forget history, we will be self-reliant!
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