Why did the British destroy the Old Summer Palace?

After the news that the British and French delegations were imprisoned, tortured, and 19 members of the delegations were killed by the Qing government spread, James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin, the British Commissioner in China, ordered the complete destruction of the palace as revenge.

The Old Summer Palace, once a magnificent royal garden, now only has broken walls and ruins. Its once magnificent scenery and artistic treasures have been devastated by time, war, and plunderers. Among them, the devastating blow dealt by the British army to the Old Summer Palace in 1860 has become a permanent pain in the hearts of the Chinese nation. So, why did the British destroy the Old Summer Palace? This article will delve into this issue from three aspects: historical background, historical details, and motivation analysis.

Reference to the Old Summer Palace.

I. Historical Background

In the mid-19th century, with the in-depth development of the Industrial Revolution, countries like Britain rapidly rose to become world powers. In order to expand colonies and plunder resources, these countries began to launch wars of aggression against other countries. China, as one of the largest feudal empires in the world at that time, naturally became the target of these countries.

In 1856, using the "Arrow Incident" as an excuse, Britain jointly launched the Second Opium War with France. In this war, the Anglo-French allied forces successively occupied Guangzhou, Tianjin, and other places and forced the Qing government to sign a series of unequal treaties such as the "Tianjin Treaty." The signing of these treaties not only severely violated China's sovereignty but also provided an excuse for the Anglo-French allied forces to further invade China.

II. Historical Details

Before the Anglo-French allied forces went to Beijing for negotiations, they had actually invaded China. The atrocities committed by the Anglo-French allied forces in the Second Opium War were not limited to burning down the Old Summer Palace.

On August 23, after occupying Tianjin, the Anglo-French allied forces marched inland towards Beijing. Emperor Xianfeng then sent ministers to negotiate, but the British envoy Harry Parkes insulted the Chinese envoy and spread the news that the British had kidnapped the Tianjin prefect. On September 18, Parkes was arrested in retaliation.

On October 8, Parkes, Lockhart, and six other members of the delegation were released - shortly before the Qing government received the order from Emperor Xianfeng, who was taking refuge in the Chengde Summer Palace, to execute them.

However, the plundering and destruction of the Old Summer Palace by the Anglo-French allied forces actually began before this.

III. Motivation Analysis

There are multiple explanations for the British order to destroy the Old Summer Palace.

First, in order to cover up their looting crimes, the Anglo-French allied forces chose to set fire to the Old Summer Palace. By destroying this building that symbolizes the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty, they could destroy the evidence of their looting crimes and avoid international condemnation.

Second, the Anglo-French allied forces believed that by destroying this building that symbolizes the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty, they could strike the Chinese people's will to resist and further consolidate their rule in China.

Finally, the Anglo-French allied forces also tried to destroy the Old Summer Palace to retaliate against the Qing government. Although they publicly claimed that it was in retaliation for the Qing government killing British and French representatives, in fact, they had already begun plundering and destroying the Old Summer Palace before they learned of this news. This claim was obviously an attempt to deliberately exonerate their crimes.

Covering up looting crimes: After occupying the Old Summer Palace, the Anglo-French allied forces carried out large-scale looting. In order to cover up this crime and destroy the evidence, they chose to set fire to the Old Summer Palace. By destroying this building that symbolizes the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty, they could destroy the evidence of their looting crimes and avoid international condemnation.

Destroying the will to resist: At that time, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggles were raging in Chinese society. The Anglo-French allied forces believed that by destroying this building that symbolizes the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty, they could strike the Chinese people's will to resist and further consolidate their rule in China.

Retaliating against the Qing government: During the war, the Qing government once tortured and killed British and French representatives. This behavior angered the Anglo-French allied forces, and they decided to destroy the Old Summer Palace in retaliation against the Qing government. In addition, the Anglo-French allied forces also believed that by destroying the "Garden of Gardens," they could demonstrate their military strength and conquest of China to the world.

In summary, there are multiple reasons why the British destroyed the Old Summer Palace. From a historical perspective, the outbreak of the Second Opium War provided an opportunity for the Anglo-French allied forces to invade China; from a historical detail perspective, the Anglo-French allied forces carried out and burning after occupying the Old Summer Palace; from a motivation analysis perspective, factors such as covering up looting crimes, destroying the will to resist, and retaliating against the Qing government jointly prompted the Anglo-French allied forces to deal a devastating blow to the Old Summer Palace. This historical event not only caused huge losses and pain to China but also exposed the aggressive nature and barbaric behavior of Western powers. We should remember the historical lessons, cherish the achievements of peaceful development, and jointly maintain world peace and stability.

Q1: Why did the British destroy the Old Summer Palace?

A1: There are multiple reasons why the British destroyed the Old Summer Palace. Firstly, in order to cover up their looting crimes and avoid international condemnation, the British chose to set fire to the Old Summer Palace and destroy the evidence of their looting crimes. Secondly, the British believed that by destroying this building that symbolizes the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty, they could strike the Chinese people's will to resist and further consolidate their rule in China. Finally, the British also tried to destroy the Old Summer Palace as revenge against the Qing government, demonstrating their military strength and conquest of China.

Q2: How did the British learn about the Qing government imprisoning, torturing, and killing 19 members of the British and French delegations in 1860?

A2: In 1860, the British learned about the Qing government imprisoning, torturing, and killing 19 members of the British and French delegations during the negotiations with the Qing government. Before the negotiations, the British envoy Harry Parkes insulted the Chinese envoy and spread rumors that the British had kidnapped the Tianjin prefect, leading to Parkes' arrest in retaliation. Later, during the negotiations, the British learned about the Qing government killing the British and French representatives.

Q3: What did the Anglo-French allied forces do after occupying Tianjin in 1860?

A3: After occupying Tianjin in 1860, the Anglo-French allied forces marched inland towards Beijing. Emperor Xianfeng then sent ministers to negotiate, but the British envoy Harry Parkes insulted the Chinese envoy and spread rumors that the British had kidnapped the Tianjin prefect. On September 18, Parkes was arrested in retaliation. On October 8, Parkes, Lockhart, and six other members of the delegation were released. However, before the negotiations, the Anglo-French allied forces had already begun looting and destroying the Old Summer Palace.