Yuanmingyuan or Garden of Perfect Splendor is located in the northwest of Beijing, close to the Summer Palace. The park is also called the Old Summer Palace. The construction of the garden was started in 1707 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It had been expanded in the next 150 years to become the largest and most magnificent emperial garden in the world. Yuanmingyuan was unique in that it was not only based on traditional Chinese gardening arts, the Western techniques and styles were also integrated into it.

Unfortunately the garden was looted and burned to the ground by the Anglo-French Joint Forces in 1860. Yuanmingyuan has been partially restored and rebuilt in recent years. Here are some photos from my trip to the park on July 13, 2003.