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Stone
Relic From Imperial Garden Found
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????Chinese archeologists
have found that a stone stele recently unearthed in northwestern
Beijing recorded how British and French forces destructed a Chinese
imperial garden 140 years ago.
????The stone stele, dug up by road construction
workers in the capital city's Haidian district, belonged to Yuanmingyuan,
an imperial garden during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
????The precious stele have been preserved in
a local museum and will be used to reconstruct old buildings in
the garden, known for its exquisite blend of different styles
of gardens in China and the West.
????On the stele was carved a description of
how British and French forces looted the garden in 1860 and the
names of about 40 woodworkers and carvers of the garden, said
archaeologists. The stone is 127 centimeter in length, 58 centimeter
in width and 16 centimeter in thickness.
????Yuanmingyuan, built over a 150-year period
from 1709-1859, covers 330 hectares. It was destroyed in a fire
set by British and French forces in October 1860. In 1900, it
was again looted and burned by the Eight-Power Allied Forces.
(People's Daily 02/03/2001)
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