Yuanming Yuan, Beijing

Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), Beijing


Yuanming Yuan, or Garden of Perfect Brightness, was a collection of gardens in Beijing. These were merged into one by the Qianlong emperor of the Qing Dynasty during the mid 18th century. The emperor commissioned the Jesuits to design for him a complex of European-style buildings for the gardens. The Jesuits created what they regarded as Beijing's response to Versailles.

What you can see today looks more like Beijing's response to Ancient Athens. Most of the buildings at Yuanming Yuan are now in ruins. The traditional Chinese structures were destroyed by British and French troops during the Seconde Opium War in 1860. The European-styled ones were pulled down by the locals who spirited the material away for their own use.

Apart from the jumble of marble blocks and stones, the rest of the garden comprises lakes, pavilions and walkways.

How to reach Yuanming Yuan

Take the subway to the Xizhi Men station, then take bus 375. The garden is open from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm daily.

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