Outline
    It took 3,500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze, taking three days to burn. The Palace was plundered and burned twice, . The first time was in 1860 by French and British army forces, and only 13 royal buildings survived to remain intact, most of them in the remote areas or by the lake side. The second time was in 1900 during the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion, and nothing remained this time.
Robbery
    October 6, 1860, the British and French troops around the east of the city northern suburb of Beijing toward the Yuanmingyuan. "
    October 7, British and French invasion of China leader entered the Summer Palace, the French military commander Meng Tuobang same day communicated to France Foreign Minister: "command the French members' attention, first take the most valuable items" in art and archeology. British commander Grant immediately sent officers trying to collect the object should belong to the British. "The second day of the admission of the Franco-British invasion forces no longer able to resist the allure of officers and soldiers of the items are groups playing partner rushed robbery of gold and silver in the garden and cultural and artistic treasures.
    Yuanmingyuan can grab too many things. According to a British witnesses said, the entire France barracks account in full of piled a lot of unusually ornate decoration colored clocks around the tents of the soldiers, full of silk and embroidery.
    British and French invaders actually took away the Yuanmingyuan how many treasures the park furnishings odds and ends and their accounts be robbed destroyed an empty, so we can never tell in a clear number.
    Park treasures too, the moment they do not know what means good, and some moved away King Taylan porcelain, and some eager embroidered robe, and some selected senior fur coat, and some pick up the mosaic bead wall clock. Some bear a big bag filled with treasures of all sorts. Some to put into the gold inside the large pocket of the coat; some half-length wrapped around silk brocade; some hat filled with red sapphires, pearls and rock crystal; some neck hanging from the Emerald Necklace. A wing, there are mountains of senior silk, it is said enough to use half of Beijing residents, soldiers are using the cart carried away. - A British officer from a 500 statues of the temple snatched a gold Buddha statues, the value of 1,200 pounds. A French officer robbed of property valued at 600,000 francs. The son of the commander-in-chief of the French army Mengtuo Bang swept the treasures of value of 300,000 francs, filled for a few carriage. October 9, when the French army to temporarily evacuate the Yuanmingyuan at the beautiful gardens have been destroyed too unsightly.
Fire
    Yuanmingyuan will be (October 1860) on the 18th burned as punishment for the Chinese emperor perfidious; only the Qing imperial government should be responsible.
    October 18, 19, thirty-four one thousand British troops everywhere in the park arson, the fire lasted three days and three nights, smoke enveloped Beijing.
Decay process   
    When the British and French troops looted Yuanmingyuan crazy, there are numerous bandits involved in the robbery.
    1900 Eight-Power Allied Forces [eight robber: Britain, France, Prussia (Germany), Czarist Russia, the United States, Japan, Italy, Austria-Hungary (now Austria and Hungary) invaded and occupied Beijing the various gardens of the western suburbs of risk of further looting. This time, the Qing government of Yuanmingyuan has been completely lost control.
   Since then, the Yuanmingyuan ruins who can make something of building materials, wholly robbed from the floor tiles, roof tiles, wall tiles, stone, and the ground floor of dowels, wooden, brass Road and other intermittent for over 20 years!