In 1856, British and French imperialists provoked a series of incidents in China and the Second Opium War broke out.
With support from the United States and Russia, the coalition used their overwhelming naval power to briefly capture the Taku Forts near Tianjin in May, 1858. In June 1858, the corrupt and inept Qing court signed the Treaties of Tianjin with Britain, France, Russia, and the United States, humiliating the nation and effectively forfeiting any notion of independent Chinese sovereignty.
Britain and France were not satisfied with these massive concessions, and they planned to expand their war against China using the pretext of going to Beijing to exchange treaties.
In July 1860, a large Anglo-French force, numbering some 25,000 troops, landed near Beitang, and captured Dagu and Tianjin. On September 21, they defeated the Qing troops, who in truth offered little effective resistance, at Baliqiao in Tongzhou (present-day Beijing) before proceeding toward Beijing.
On September 22, Emperor Xianfeng (who reigned from 1851 to 1861) fled the capital for his Summer Resort in Jehol (present-day Chengde in Hebei Province), leaving his brother, Prince Gong in charge of negotiations.
Hearing a rumor that the Qing emperor had fled to the Old Summer Palace, Anglo-French troops marched there via Anding Gate and Desheng Gate.
The Old Summer Palace, one of the great architectural wonders of the world, was first constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, began in the Ming Dynasty. In 1709, the Qing Emperor Kangxi granted it to his fourth son (later Emperor Yongzheng) as a gift and gave it the name “Garden of Perfect Brightness”. After over 150 years of renovation and expansion, it was an amazingly ornate construction with picturesque scenery and uncountable treasures. Featuring gardens modeled after those common in the regions south of the Yangtze River, and also some western garden architecture styles, it was known as one of the most beautiful palace and grounds in all the world. All kinds of priceless treasures, unique historical books and records and precious historical cultural relics were kept there, making it also one of the largest museums in the world.
The Anglo-French troops faced only token resistance from a few Qing troops in the north of Beijing. On October 6, the Qing troops fled and at dusk, some French troops broke through the main gate of the Old Summer Palace, where they encountered much tougher resistance from a few score eunuches most of whom were killed in the fighting. At seven o’ clock, they occupied the Old Summer Palace. Wenhai, the minister in charge of the Palace, could not bear the shame and he took his own life by throwing himself into the river in the Summer Palace and drowning himself.
On the second day, the British troops also marched into the Old Summer Palace. They soon began crazily looting all the great treasures.
There were so many rare treasures so that no one really knows even today how many were destroyed. The Anglo-French troops crowded into the Old Summer Palace in all directions. They looted whatever they saw and smashed whatever they could not take away. By October 9, when the invaders withdrew temporarily, the Old Summer Palace was absolutely devastated.
After it had been plundered, the British set fire to the Palace on October 18 and 19 to cover up their crimes and frighten the Qing court into further submission. The fire blazed for a full three days. The smoke hung over the sky above the city of Beijing and did not disperse for a long time. The fire also killed over 300 eunuches, maids-in-waiting and carpenters who refused to leave the Palace. Emperor Xianfeng who had fled to Jehol signed the Treaty of Beijing with Britain and France,. These unequal treaties pretty much turned China into a quasi-colony and the Chinese people faced more years of suffering and hardship.
The outrage committed by the British and French troops is astounding, and even today it enrages patriotic Chinese sensibilities. The destruction of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still regarded in China as a symbol of foreign aggression and humiliation.
