History glossary
Yuanmingyuan
the Qing imperial garden complex looted and burned in 1860.
- Category
- Qing China and imperial conflict
- Region
- China
- Date range
- 1856–1861
What it means
Yuanmingyuan stood northwest of Beijing. Anglo-French troops looted it; British troops burned it under Elgin’s order. It is separate from the Forbidden City and Yiheyuan.
Stories using this term
The Opium Wars
From the Canton System to the fall of Beijing, the Opium Wars turned illegal trade, imperial power and Qing weakness into a new unequal treaty order.
The Second Opium War
A disputed boat seizure at Canton leads to Anglo-French invasion, expanded treaty privileges and the destruction of the Old Summer Palace.
