In ancient China, almost every dynasty went in for large-scale constructions of gardens and
palaces at the beginning of the establishment of the new state political power. But most of these gardens were burned down by subverters when the power was overthrown. The rise and decline of gardens was often closely related with the fate of the dynasty. Looking back to the historical progression of human being, countless splendid architectural treasures including the Hanging Garden of ancient Babylon and the Garden of Perfect Splendor were destroyed overnight. Human being's greed and ignorance caused one tragedy after another in the history of civilization.
In 1860, the British and French allied troops invaded into Beijing. In the face of these magnificent gardens and palaces, invaders became looters. The headquarters of allied troops sent down the
notice that "everyone could plunder freely". More than ten thousand officers and soldiers rushed
into the garden and looted the treasures without restraint. After reaving all treasures and cultural relics that could be taken away, they sent 3500 people to set fire in every palace and burnt down the Garden of Perfect Splendor, the " garden of gardens." The fire lasted two days and two nights. Days after, the invading army again set fire on the Garden of Clear Ripples, the Jing Yi Garden in the Fragrant Hills, the Jing Ming Garden in the Jade Spring Hill and nearby gardens of grant and private gardens. So many magnificent imperial gardens reflecting the highest achievements in Chinese gardening, and a huge unrivalled garden zone formed after hundreds of years' operation
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| The once destroyed marble boat now anchors at the banks forever. | and management were destroyed and burnt into ruins within a period of less than twenty days.
After the looting, the Qing government once ordered the rebuilding of the Garden of Perfect Splendor, but failed because of the lack of fiscal resources and the disagreements from the court officials. In the 14th year of Guang Xu (1888), the Garden of Clear Ripples was partly renovated and was renamed the Pleasant Harmony Garden serving as the imperial resort of Empress Cixi who spent her rest of life here. In 1900, the Eight Nation's Allied Troops invaded into Beijing, and the Garden of Perfect Splendor, which was already ruins of broken walls, was once again plundered. The invaders from Britain, Russia and Italy had garrisoned in the Garden of Pleasant Harmony for more than one year, during which the precious relics were looted and the structures were destroyed. In 1902, in order to celebrate her 70th birthday, Empress Cixi even started to renovate the Garden of Pleasant Harmony using money that was supposed to strengthen the navy. Due to the frequent damage and the decline of national power of the Qing Dynasty, the weak Qing government had no strength to protect these precious gardens any more.
Among all gardens, the damage upon the Garden of Perfect Splendor was the most severe and devastating. Besides being looted and razed twice by invaders, the garden was also destroyed and robbed by malfeasants, army ruffians and floating peasants. The ruined garden
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| Harmonious and quiet landscape constituted by the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake viewed from West Dike eastward. | simply became a stone quarry, especially during the Republic of China period (191 l- 1949) when nobody looked after the ruins of garden and the carriage for carrying the stolen items was one after another during that ten to twenty years. A garden full of structures in old days only has limited numbers of broken walls, pillars and bricks left now. Any stone ornamental pillars and stone lions that were in good condition were taken away. Later, many working units and peasants moved into the garden resulting in the construction of many new buildings. And because that many dykes and banks were dug, trees were fallen, and lakes were changed into rice field, even the desolate original environment of the scenic spots was gone.
The development of human being's civilization is based on mutual understanding, tolerance and respect. Famous gardens, being plundered and razed are not only the disasters of the civilization, but also the shame of human beings. To protect gardens and cultural relics are human being's collective responsibility.
In 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded and since then China has entered into another new age of history. The classic gardens all over the country have been receiving proper preserving, renovating,
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| The glass pagoda in the Zhao Temple in the Fragrant Hills. | maintaining and rebuilding.
Because the Mountainous Summer Resort in Chengde, the largest imperial garden in China, occupied a large space and lacked uniform management, many unrelated organizations and units once stationed inside the garden. A small number of villas and houses were built in the mountainous landscape area and some shops, restaurants and reception houses were built inside the plain and lakes area. Aiming to change the chaotic condition, the local government supported by the national cultural relics protection department carried out the project of clearing up and reorganizing. Through management, the water in the resort becomes clean, trees turn green, the primitive simplicity of the structures is maintained, the grass is as thick as blankets, and the mountain is as lush as before. The Summer Resort of old days once again appears in front of people's eyes. In addition, the Chengde government made great efforts on renovating the eight temples surrounding the resort. The destroyed parts were restored using the traditional techniques. In 1994, the Mountainous Summer Resort in Chengde and the surrounding temples as an integrated architectural group was added in the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO.
The Sum- mer Palace was the most well pre-served one among all gardens located in northwest suburbs of Beijing. For the past 50 years, after several times of digging and dredging up of the Kunming Lake, a new water-visiting route has formed because of the abundance of Chang River's water resource. The structures inside the garden were renovated many times, so that they could
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| The restored Guan Xi Garden in the Jing Yi Garden. |
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| The Qiu Xia Garden in Jiading, a South China style garden built in 1970s. | still keep its magnificence of imperial architecture. After years' painstaking efforts on maintaining, the Summer Palace was listed in the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1998.
For the past century, most of the former scenic spots and structures of the Jing Yi Garden in the Fragrant Hills have been destroyed. After being tidied up, former scenic spots were restored, some scenic structures were rebuilt, and the present outlook of those large-scale scenic spots was maintained. The original mountainous vegetation was kept. When autumn comes, red leaves will cover the Fragrant Hills. The environment and the artistic realm of the former Jing Yi Garden are still maintained.
In 1950s, the Beijing government decided to plant trees extensively in the Garden of Perfect Splendor and tried to maintain the original environment of the garden through large- scale afforestation. But due to the lack of further procedures,
the destroying activities didn't stop. In 1980s, the east part of the garden after a little cleaning up was opened to the public as the Park of Ruins of the Garden of Perfect Splendor. In more than ten years from then on, peasants and residents living inside the garden had been moved out step by step. Rice fields were given up, and the scenic spots were restored. The renovation of the scenic spots in the Sea of Happiness and the Yi Chun Garden received special attention, so that
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| The contemporary structures in the Jing Yi Garden in the Fragrant Hills. | some pavilions and water pavilions were rebuilt. In the site of the former Western Storied Building in the Chang Chun Garden, many destroyed architectural parts in old years
were excavated. After being cleaned up, the Western Storied Building began to present its original outlook.
In recent years, the Beijing government, by considering the opinions from all sides, drafted the developing plan for the Garden of Perfect Splendor based on the actual situation. The main contents of the plan include fully cleaning up the water body, canals, dykes, hills and roads, and then rebuilding some main scenic spots. The plan strives to display parts of the landscapes of the former imperial garden. With this plan, the protection and construction of the Garden of Perfect Splendor are more likely to experience a fast developing period. Hopefully with constant practice and research, the Garden of Perfect Splendor, a masterpiece in an era, could obtain proper protection and be vibrated with life again. |
