Yuanmingyuan, also hauled as “Garden of Gardens,” is an extensive collection of gardens, architectures and other works of art. Yuanmingyuan was built in the 18th and early 19th century and this was where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled the government affairs.

Yuanmingyuan consists of three gardens—Yuanmingyuan, Changchunyuan and Qichunyuan, collecting halls, temples, galleries, pavilions, gardens, lakes and so on. With the invasion of the British and French troops in 1860, Yuanmingyuan was entirely destroyed. This destruction was viewed as the huge humiliation to the Chinese in Chinese history.

Nowadays, tourists still have the chance to witness the ruins of the only survived European-style palaces in Yuanmingyuan for their Beijing travel experience. Unfortunately, the classical, elegant and traditional Chinese-style palaces were totally ruined during the invasion. To revive the splendor of Yuanmingyuan, there are ongoing projects in China to rebuild Yuanmingyuan to reappear to the world.

For the convenience of your Beijing travel China, below is a selection of nearby Beijing hotels. For more sightseeing attractions in Beijing, please visit our Beijing Tourism website for a map to guide your China tour and to find your ideal China hotel.