The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness (圆明园, referred to in many books as Yuan Ming Yuan), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (御园), was a complex of palaces and gardens 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northwest of the walls of the Imperial City in Beijing, built in the 18th and early 19th century, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs (the Forbidden City was used only for formal ceremonies).
Known for its extensive collection of garden and building architectures and other works of art (a popular name in China was the "Garden of Gardens", 万园之园), the Imperial Gardens were destroyed by British and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War, as a punishment for the torture and execution of those countries' peace emissaries by the Chinese Emperor. Today, this punishment is held up by the current Chinese government as a symbol of foreign aggression and humiliation in China.
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