Destruction of Paradise: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Sack of the Summer Palace

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The first work of its kind in the English language, Destruction of Paradise describes one of the most dramatic and far-reaching events in East-West relations—the sack and burning of the Chinese Emperor’s Summer Palace by an Anglo-French army in October 1860. The Summer Palace was the grandest garden-palace complex ever constructed in China and a treasure trove of the finest artworks and valuables collected by a series of emperors. In addition to destroying the Palace, the Europeans made off with a vast haul of loot that made its way into (mostly) private art collections in the West. The looting, which is described here in detail, had the effect of transforming Western understanding of Chinese art and at the same time has left a legacy of loss in the national consciousness of China.