1860: The Great Sacking of the Old Summer Palace

Author: (French) Bernard Bresson
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: On October 7 and 8, 1860, the Beijing Summer Palace, renowned as the "Garden of Gardens" and the "Eastern Versailles," was looted by the Anglo-French forces. On the 18th, Lord Elgin, the British envoy, ordered the burning of the Summer Palace. A century later, in 2000, Bernard Bresson, a French journalist, writer, and historian, stood on the ruins of the Summer Palace. "As a Frenchman, I felt deep sorrow and guilt. Standing here, I could still imagine the former grandeur of the Summer Palace." Upon returning to France, Bresson found it difficult to find English and French books dedicated to the Anglo-French forces' looting of the Summer Palace, which sparked the idea of writing a book about this history. A work that comprehensively examines and reflects on this historical event from the perspective of a French scholar has now entered the of Chinese readers and has become an important part of cultural exchange during the China-France Cultural Year.