Yuanmingyuan, or Garden of Perfection and Brightness, was built in 1709 as a Qing imperial garden. During its heyday, it was extolled as the " Garden of Gardens ", a title it well deserved for it was a vast assemblage of gardens and landscaping feats. The unprecedented size and grandeur of Yuanmingyuan, however, are no more-it was ransacked and burned down by the Anglo French joint force in 1860. The remaining buildings were sacked once more by the allied forces of the Eight Powers in 1900. The ruins are preserved today and opened to tourists.
Yuanmingyuan, or Garden of Perfection and Brightness, was built in 1709 as a Qing imperial garden. During its heyday, it was extolled as the " Garden of Gardens ", a title it well deserved for it was a vast assemblage of gardens and landscaping feats. The unprecedented size and grandeur of Yuanmingyuan, however, are no more-it was ransacked and burned down by the Anglo French joint force in 1860. The remaining buildings were sacked once more by the allied forces of the Eight Powers in 1900. The ruins are preserved today and opened to tourists. 