Yuanmingyuan Revisited: The Confrontation of China and the West

The ruins of Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, stand as a stark symbol of the confrontation between China and the West during the 19th century. This study reveals that the destruction of this imperial garden by British and French forces in 1860 was not merely an act of war but a deliberate erasure of Chinese cultural heritage to assert Western dominance. Through historical analysis, the research examines the geopolitical tensions, colonial ambitions, and the broader implications of this event on Sino-Western relations. The approach combines archival research with critical discourse analysis, offering a nuanced perspective on how material destruction served as a tool of imperial power.

Weil, R. (2013). Yuanmingyuan Revisited: The Confrontation of China and the West. Socialism and Democracy, 27(1), 95–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854300.2012.759704