Architectural Splendor Quotes
Gordon, then a young officer, was part of an British and French expeditionary force that was ordered to destroy the Yuanming Yuan—the Garden of Perfect Brightness which was called “The Old Summer Palace” where the emperors of China resided in the summer. It was the best Chinese architecture of the time and the palaces were full of many great works of art. The reason for the destruction was that the Chinese had imprisoned Western representatives who had come to manage a treaty. While incarcerated, the Western prisoners were murdered. Generally, retaliation was meant to do damage to something that the rulers of the offending nations valued greatly.
