Yuan Ming Yuan (otherwise known as the Old Summer Palace) is situated between Qinghua University and the Yi He Yuan (New Summer Palace). It was constructed between 1709 and 1859, although there had been imperial gardens and summer palaces in the area since at least the Liao dynasty (~1125AD). In 1709 the Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi started the development of the Yuan Ming Yuan, and also gave it it...[Full]

Yuan Ming Yuan (otherwise known as the Old Summer Palace) is situated between Qinghua University and the Yi He Yuan (New Summer Palace). It was constructed between 1709 and 1859, although there had been imperial gardens and summer palaces in the area since at least the Liao dynasty (~1125AD). In 1709 the Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi started the development of the Yuan Ming Yuan, and also gave it its name, which means Garden of Perfect Brightness.

In 1707 Emperor Kangxi began construction of the palace, then known as Yu Yuan (Imperial Gardens), as a gift for his son, the future Emperor Yongzheng. In 1725 Emperor Yongzheng greatly expanded the grounds and put in a number of fabulous waterworks. Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) expanded the palace even further and added much in the way of scenery to the grounds. As it stands today, Yuanming Yuan, with its three massive gardens and numerous ruined buildings, covers 865 acres, five times the area of the Forbidden City.

The numerous buildings on the grounds were mostly built in the Chinese style, but Emperor Qianlong had exotic tastes and some of the buildings he constructed used exotic foreign styles. He hired two Jesuit architects, Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, to build him European style palaces. As well, there were a few Tibetan and Mongol style buildings on the grounds.

From Emperor Yongzheng on the Qing emperors used Yu Yuan as the royal residence, and as such the buildings were filled with priceless furniture, treasure, original scriptures, porcelain etc. Unfortunately, all of that was destroyed, as were the palaces themselves, by English and French forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War. After that, the Qing emperors relocated to the Forbidden City where they lived until the last was expelled in 1924.

The ruins of the Old Summer Palace are open to the public, but they are just that: ruins. [Close]

Yuan Ming Yuan (otherwise known as the Old Summer Palace) is situated between Qinghua University and the Yi He Yuan (New Summer Palace). It was constructed between 1709 and 1859, although there had been imperial gardens and summer palaces in the area since at least the Liao dynasty (~1125AD). In 1709 the Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi started the development of the Yuan Ming Yuan, and also gave it it...[Full]