Secret: How many cultural relics have been lost in Yuanmingyuan?

Yuanmingyuan, also known as Yuanming Sanyuan, is a large royal palace in the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, adjacent to the Summer Palace. It is composed of Yuanmingyuan Garden, Changchun Garden and Wanchun Garden, so it is also called Yuanming Sanyuan. In addition, there are many small gardens in the east, west and south, surrounded by stars. Yuanmingyuan is also the biggest treasure house in Chinese history. There are countless treasures in it, but they were burned and looted under the invasion of Eight-Nation Alliance in the late Qing Dynasty. Do you know how many cultural relics and treasures Yuanmingyuan lost in this catastrophe? Let's take you to find out!

How many cultural relics were lost when foreign troops invaded Yuanmingyuan?

"There are no accurate statistics about how many cultural relics have been lost in Yuanmingyuan," said Wang Daocheng, a doctoral supervisor of China Renmin University and an expert in Yuanmingyuan. He said that according to the archives, Qingyi Garden (formerly known as the Summer Palace) kept a detailed "display list", which recorded in detail the various furnishings of different buildings such as Qin Zhengtang (now Renshoutang) and Foxiang Pavilion, accurate to every floor and even every table, but the display list of Yuanmingyuan was not preserved, which may have been destroyed in the war, thus losing the basis for accurately investigating the cultural relics lost in Yuanmingyuan. Today, our inventory of cultural relics in Yuanmingyuan mainly comes from the research of many cultural relics experts.

Mr. Shi Shuqing, a famous expert on cultural relics, once mentioned in the book Yuanmingyuan:1May, 973, Shi Shuqing went to France with the delegation of cultural relics unearthed in China. Visit a palace in Fontainebleau, 70km southeast of Paris. The French call it Fontainebleau Castle. 1863, Charles Louis Napolé on Bonaparte built another China Pavilion here, which contained a large number of precious cultural relics plundered from Yuanmingyuan by the French invaders.

There are two stone lions in front of China Museum. There are more than 1000 cultural relics in the museum, and 320 pieces are on display, all of which were stolen from Yuanmingyuan in 1860. There are Shang and Zhou bronzes, Ming and Qing official kiln porcelains in China Pavilion (important porcelains include Xuande blue and white lotus bowl, Kangxi Yongzheng Ganlong multicolored pastel bottles and pots, etc.). ), cloisonne fuming furnace (palace smoked), statues, pendants, all kinds of jade carvings, all kinds of wishful, armor, Ming Dynasty silk embroidery.

In addition, there are jade, agate, coral, crystal, asparagus, boxwood, ivory products, carved lacquer and other handicrafts. The palace shoulder strap (chariot) was lifted. It is said that Queen Charles Louis Napolé on Bonaparte once took it away after it was taken to France.

1890 (16th year of Guangxu), Xue Fucheng went to France, and saw two imperial seals of Yuanmingyuan in the China room of Paris Oriental Museum, which read "Baohe Taihe" (sapphire seal); One said "Yuanmingyuan Seal" (White Jade Seal). 1904 (30th year of Guangxu reign), Kang Youwei visited Paris. He saw the treasures and imperial seals of the Forbidden City in China in the Qigui Pavilion, which he thought were the cultural relics of Yuanmingyuan.

Some Yuanmingyuan repurchased cultural relics.

● A silver cast animal face knocker in Yuanmingyuan;

Qin Gong, a well-known expert in cultural relics appraisal in China, brokered the match and was purchased by the China History Museum and became the collection.

Four animal heads in Yuanmingyuan

● A pair of dry silver heads (silver cast animal face knockers);

In 2003, Beijing Hanhai Autumn Auction was bought by domestic buyers. Originally belonged to Tao Jia Bookstore, Yulinglongge, Changchun Garden, Yuanmingyuan.

Low dry dragon pastel hexagonal bottle:

Beijing Cultural Relics Company bought it back from the auction in Hong Kong, donated it to the Capital Museum, and now it is in storage.

Four animal heads:

Four bronze animal heads, including bull's head, tiger's head, monkey's head and pig's head, were repurchased by Poly Art Museum.

ⅵ blue pastel vase with melon edges;

He once appeared in Beijing Hanhaichun film. This lot is the display of Yuanmingyuan, and its size is very large, which is really rare among its kind in Qianlong period.

Some Yuanmingyuan lost national treasures.

● Proverbs of Women's History

This painting was painted by Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty according to Zhang Hua's "Proverbs of Women's History" in the Western Jin Dynasty to publicize the moral norms that court women should abide by. The whole volume is *** 12, and there are 9 existing paragraphs, with "true" added after each paragraph. The Picture of Women's History is regarded as a treasure in China's painting history. After entering the Qing dynasty, it became a secret collection in the palace. After Yuanmingyuan became another political center after the Forbidden City, there is a picture of women's history here. When the British and French allied forces looted the Yuanmingyuan, the "Women's Historical Prose Map" was first stolen by the British army, and then changed hands many times. Now it is kept in the British Museum.

● "Forty Scenes"

"Forty Scenes of Yuanmingyuan" include aboveboard, diligent and virtuous, Fanghu Scenic Area, Pengdao Yaotai and so on. Forty Scenes were painted by the most famous court painters at that time, such as Tang Dai and Shen Yuan, after eleven years. The poem was inscribed by Qianlong Imperial Pen, written by Wang Youdun, a senior minister of the Ministry of Industry, and stamped with 99 seals such as "Yuanmingyuan Treasure". Exquisite paintings and elegant calligraphy. "This set of forty scenes adopts western brushwork, which completely and truly reflects the forty scenes of Yuanmingyuan." Wang Daocheng commented. 1860, this set of paintings was stolen and shipped back to France, and is now in the National Library of France.

Historical Decryption Yuanmingyuan was destroyed by "Four Thieves"

1860 After the British and French allied forces looted and burned Yuanmingyuan, there were still more than 13 of the 40 scenes in Yuanmingyuan, and the mountain-shaped water system was not damaged. 100 years later, how did the disaster-stricken Yuanmingyuan go through the "four robberies" of fire, wood, stone and earth and completely turn into ruins? Wang Daocheng, a famous expert in Yuanmingyuan and an expert in the study of Qing history at Renmin University of China, revealed the historical truth to this newspaper.

1860: "fire robbery"

1860, Yuanmingyuan was burned, most of the buildings were burned, and the flowers and trees were seriously damaged. In the twelfth year of Tongzhi, after investigation by the Qing court, it was found that there were 13 landscapes in Yuanmingyuan. "For example, Fanghu Scenic Spot and Pengdao Yaotai are all built in the water. The British don't have a boat and they can't burn it. " Wang Daocheng said. After 1860, the Chinese Garden in Yuanmingyuan was not in ruins, and some buildings were quite well preserved. But this looting and burning is the beginning of the disaster in this famous garden. (fortune telling)

Eight-Nation Alliance's Entry into Beijing: "Wooden Robbery"

Wang Daocheng believes that at present, there is no historical data to prove that Eight-Nation Alliance once entered Yuanmingyuan for looting. The real looting of Yuanmingyuan was the defeated soldiers and hooligans stationed in the western suburbs of the Qing Dynasty. This time, a large number of ancient trees were cut down and even burned into charcoal for sale. At the same time, the remaining furniture was looted and the surviving buildings were demolished. There are no figures to prove these robberies and damages. Since then, the ancient trees in Yuanmingyuan have been completely destroyed. But at this time, the landscape system of Yuanmingyuan has not been destroyed.

During the Northern Warlords Period: "Stone Robbery"

After the demise of the Qing Dynasty, warlords, bureaucrats and politicians seized the opportunity to seize the stone of Yuanmingyuan, and some people arbitrarily used the stone of Yuanmingyuan. For example, warlord Wang Huaiqing took some stones from Yuanmingyuan to build his own garden. Zhang Ling in Fushun also used many things from Yuanmingyuan. Pastor Zhai of yenching university privately took a pair of China watches from Yuanmingyuan, which still stands in the west gate of Peking University.

19 17 to "cultural revolution": "soil robbery"

After 19 17, some farmers began to enter Yuanmingyuan, and the landscape system began to be destroyed. After the founding of New China, more and more farmers entered Yuanmingyuan, and the damage became more and more serious. According to the statistics of 1980, there are 7 production teams in Yuanmingyuan, with an agricultural population of more than 2,000 people and more than 270 households. After farmers entered Yuanmingyuan, they had to dig mountains and fill lakes to grow rice, because the water was too deep to grow rice. In order to build a house, it is necessary to dig mountains and borrow soil; In order to raise pigs and sheep in the pen, it is necessary to dig up the mountain washer

"The mountain water system of Yuanmingyuan has actually been destroyed in recent decades." Wang Daocheng sighed.