Beijing’s Old Summer Palace restored with scattered relics

More than 80,000 pieces of stones and bricks have been restored to Beijing’s Yuanmingyuan (圓明園), known as the Old Summer Palace, Beijing Morning News reported recently.
Used as a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the palace park was also known for its exquisite architecture and many works of art. Unfortunately, it was destroyed, and its treasures looted during the Second Opium War (1856-60).
A massive archaeological exca-vation has uncovered more than 50,000 cultural relics so far. All of the excavated relics are exhibited in the park to enable the public to learn more about the park and its history.
In 2015, a working group responsible for recovering lost relics was set up. Over 80,000 relics have been recovered to date, including lost bricks, tiles and stone sculptures.
Every brick and tile is a cultural relic of the palace, said Chen Hui, director of the park’s department for the protection of cultural relics.
Though the stone pieces are less valuable compared with some renowned pieces of art from the garden, they are still parts of the garden, said Chen.
The returned stones have been placed near the south wall, creating a 20-meter long “Great Wall.” Visitors will be able to appreciate the dispersed relics this year.