Yuan Ming Yuan (Old Summer Palace)—Spring, 1981

The old Qing Dynasty summer palace in Northwestern Beijing used to be much larger than the Summer Palace of today. The old summer palace was looted and burned to the ground in 1860, during the Second Opium War, in which the British and French invading forces forced China to open to trade and to allow the sale of opium throughout China. Most of the Chinese-style palace buildings were wooden, and were burned to the ground, leaving little trace. The ruins of some western-style gardens, patterned after the palaces of Europe and built of stone were all that remained. The Empress Dowager Ci Xi, (using money that had been appropriated to build a modern navy to defend against future foreign aggression,) had part of the summer palace restored. (The only boat that was built was made of marble.) This is what is known today as the Summer Palace, or Yi He Yuan.

In 1981 Yuan Ming Yuan was not on any of the tourist maps, and was mostly known only to the locals as a quiet place to escape the crowds. There was no wall around it, or admission gate, though initial restoration efforts were beginning. It was a great place to go on a quiet spring day for a picnic and a stroll through the ruins.