Chinese archeologists have found that a stone stele recently
unearthed in northwestern Beijing recorded how British and French
forces destructed a Chinese imperial garden 140 years ago.
The stone stele, dug up by road construction workers in the capital
city's Haidian district, belonged to Yuanmingyuan, an imperial
garden during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The precious stele have been preserved in a local museum and will
be used to reconstruct old buildings in the garden, known for its
exquisite blend of different styles of gardens in China and the
West.
On
the stele was carved a description of how British and French forces
looted the garden in 1860 and the names of about 40 woodworkers and
carvers of the garden, said archaeologists. The stone is 127
centimeter in length, 58 centimeter in width and 16 centimeter in
thickness.
Yuanmingyuan, built over a 150-year period from 1709-1859, covers
330 hectares. It was destroyed in a fire set by British and French
forces in October 1860. In 1900, it was again looted and burned by
the Eight-Power Allied Forces.
(People's Daily 02/03/2001)