Glimpses of history

1707

The construction of Yuanmingyuan began. Emperor Kangxi gave the garden to his fourth son, the future Yongzheng emperor, as a gift.

1725

Emperor Yongzheng largely expanded the garden, introducing waterworks to the complex. He also named 28 scenic spots within the garden.

1737

Emperor Qianlong personally directed the second round of expansion, and the number of scenic spots increased to 50.

1860

Yuanmingyuan was looted and burned by British and French expeditionary forces during the Second Opium War. The place was set on fire, which took three days to burn down. Only 13 buildings in remote areas survived.

1900

Yuanmingyuan was again looted and completely destroyed by the Eight-Nation Alliance. The eight countries are Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

1949

The garden was listed as a key culture relic protection site after the founding of New China.

1976

The Yuanmingyuan Administration was set up to direct the renovation of the garden.

1983

The garden was listed as a Relics Park and was subsidized by the Beijing municipal government to recover its original landscape.

1988

The garden opened to the public as a scenic spot.