Destroyed historic buildings and fountains, Yuanmingyuan

Yuanmingyuan is a vast garden located in the north of the Beijing Forbidden Palace that was constructed in the Qing dynasty after 1709, and is next to the Summer Palace, Peking University, and Tsinghua University. The most surprising thing is the destroyed marble buildings. It is said that in the Second Opium War in 1856, the British and French allies invaded Beijing and carried out plunder and destruction. And of particular note are the "12 Zodiac Animal Head Bronze Statues" in Haiyan Hall, which have 12 zodiac faces and human bodies, each in charge of two hours, and all of the statues spout water at 12 o'clock. They were not looted in 1856, but some were discovered overseas around 1985 and returned to China, but the whereabouts of the dragon, snake, sheep, chicken, and dog are still unknown. I had previously seen the real thing at a special exhibition at the Minhang Museum in Shanghai and wanted to come to Beijing to see it. When I actually went to see the site, I was disappointed at how much destruction there was, even though there was a historical background to it. In a way, I thought it was more important than a World Heritage Site. Haiyantang is located north of the park, north of Changchun Garden. In the end, the maze was still intact and I enjoyed it. Nearest station: Beijing Line 4 Yuanmingyuan Sightseeing date and time: 9am, January 29, 2023 #Beijing #QingDynasty #Yuanmingyuan #TwelveZodiacs #TwelveZodiacBeastHeadBronzeStatue #Haiyantang #Yuanmingyuan #Yuanmingyuan