In order to force the Qing government to accept the conditions of peace as soon as possible, British Minister Erkin and British Commander Grant ordered Lieutenant General Mitchell to lead more than 3,500 invading troops to Yuanmingyuan on June+65,4381October+10/October 8, 5438 on the pretext that the Qing government had imprisoned British and French prisoners in Yuanmingyuan. The fire lasted two days and two nights.
Because the feudal rulers were arrogant and closed to the outside world, by the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the science and technology of the whole country was far behind the West, and class contradictions became increasingly acute. 1840, the western colonialists provoked the war of aggression against China-the first opium war; The Taiping revolution broke out and opposed the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty.
1856 10 With the support of tsarist Russia and the United States, Britain and France jointly launched a new war of aggression, the Second Opium War. Its purpose is to gain greater colonial interests.
First, they started two battles in Guangzhou, but failed to meet expectations. In order to directly exert pressure on the Qing government, Chen Bingjing was decided. The invading army stormed Tianjin in May 1858, and the Qing government was forced to sign the Tianjin Treaty with the sins and humiliation of Britain, France, Russia and the United States.
1860 In July, the warships of the British and French aggressor troops arrived at Dagukou again, and the British and French ambassadors went to Beijing to exchange scorpions. They forced themselves to "speak peace". But the conditions are getting more and more harsh, and the conditions are getting more and more harsh. The purpose is to force Chen Bingjing to force the Qing court to submit. In the face of the invaders' plans, the corrupt and incompetent Qing government made a fuss and slowed down its deployment.
As a result, the fighter plane was lost, causing the invading army to go straight to Tongzhou. On September 2 1 day, China's army lost the decisive battle at Baliqiao in Tongzhou. The next morning, Emperor Xianfeng fled from Yuanmingyuan to chengde mountain resort in a hurry. In fact, he ran for his life regardless of his ancestral home. As a result, the capital has no owner, officials are scattered, the soldiers are in a state of chaos, and the people are frightened, which fundamentally shakes the firm resistance to the aggressors.
1860, 10 On June 6, the British and French allied forces bypassed the northeast suburb of Beijing and went straight to Yuanmingyuan. The French army went first, passed Haidian in the afternoon and arrived at the gate of Yuanmingyuan Grand Palace in the evening. Don't be afraid of being killed, go forward and fight bravely. However, in the end, Ren Liang, the "Eight-product Head" of Yuanmingyuan, died in the line of duty. At 7 pm, the French invaders captured the Yuanmingyuan.
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After the First Opium War, western capitalist powers invaded China one after another. However, they are not satisfied with the privileges and benefits they have obtained, and deliberately step up their violation of China's sovereignty and economic plunder.
Treaty of nanking has been published for twelve years. Britain misinterpreted the provisions of the Wang Xia Treaty 12 years later that trade and sea areas could be slightly changed, invoked the MFN clause, and demanded a comprehensive revision of the treaty of nanking from the Qing government. The main contents are as follows: trade throughout China, legalization of opium trade, exemption of import and export goods from customs duties, and the presence of foreign minister in Beijing.
France and the United States also requested to amend the treaty respectively. The Qing government refused and the negotiations were fruitless. 1856, the Wang Xia treaty expired for 12 years. With the support of Britain and France, the United States once again asked for a comprehensive revision of the treaty, but it was still rejected by the Qing government. Therefore, the western powers are determined to
Launch a new war of aggression against China-the Second Opium War.
The British and French allied forces occupied the capital and set fire to Yuanmingyuan, which dealt a heavy blow to China's culture and psychology. The landlord class was divided, and some Manchu rulers learned from their mistakes and decided to "learn from foreigners and master their skills to control foreigners", thus starting the "Westernization Movement" and welcoming the revival of Tongzhi.
During the Tongzhi period, Emperor Tongzhi prepared to restore Yuanmingyuan for Empress Dowager Cixi. Later, due to financial difficulties, it was forced to stop work and rebuild other buildings. 1900, Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and Yuanmingyuan was destroyed again. After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, some warlords, politicians and bureaucrats stole the building materials of Yuanmingyuan, and the site of Yuanmingyuan was further destroyed.
After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the state attached great importance to the protection of Yuanmingyuan site. 1979, Yuanmingyuan site was listed as a key cultural relics protection unit in Beijing. After that, the repair work of Yuanmingyuan site gradually began. Now it has become the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park.
The Yuanmingyuan in history consists of Yuanmingyuan, Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden. Three gardens are adjacent to each other, commonly known as Yuanmingyuan. It covers an area of more than 5,200 mu, which is nearly 1000 mu larger than the entire Summer Palace.
It is a large royal palace built and operated by the feudal emperors in Qing Dynasty for more than 50 years. Emperors Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, etc. all lived in Yuanmingyuan for many years and held court meetings here to handle political affairs. Together with the Forbidden City, it was the political center of the country at that time and was called the "imperial garden" by the Qing emperor. There are more than 600 plaques hanging alone.
Baidu Encyclopedia-The Destruction of Yuanmingyuan
Baidu encyclopedia-Yuanmingyuan