Making and Remaking the Yuanmingyuan.

The article traces the history of the Yuanmingyuan, the Garden of Perfect Brightness in Beijing, China. The name was given to a private garden by Emperor Kangxi to his son, Yongzheng in 1709. The garden was expanded when he ascended the throne. In turn, Emperor Qianlong, Yongzeng's son, constructed Chinese style structures and three European-style palaces. An album of paintings taken from the complex in the 1740s is the primary surviving evidence of the magnificence of the place. In the mid-19th century, the place was destroyed by Anglo-French armies. The reconstruction began in 1873 through an imperial order but stopped due to lack of funds. The place was beyond repair when the Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911. Issues about the place's renewal are discussed.