By: History.com Editors

1860

Peking’s Summer Palace destroyed

History.com Editors

Published: July 21, 2010

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

British troops occupying Peking, China, loot and then burn the Yuanmingyuan, the fabulous summer residence built by the Manchu emperors in the 18th century. China’s Qing leadership surrendered to the Franco-British expeditionary force soon after, ending the Second Opium War and Chinese hopes of reversing the tide of foreign domination in its national affairs.

In the 1870s, Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi began rebuilding the palace and its stunning gardens, renaming it Yiheyuan, or “Garden of Good Health and Harmony.” In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the palace was burned again by Western troops, and it remained dilapidated until the Chinese Communists rebuilt it in the 1950s.

China: Timeline

For as long as there have been civilized humans, there has been some form of China.

China

By: History.com Editors

Timeline

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1931

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1933

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1968

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1972

Clean Water Act becomes law

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1974

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1977

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1986

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1988

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Citation Information

Article title
Peking’s Summer Palace destroyed
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 27, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 30, 2025
Original Published Date
July 21, 2010

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