Somewhere on the earth, there is a miracle among people. Its name is the Summer Palace (another name for Yuanmingyuan). Art has two principles: ideas and dreams. Thoughts produce western art, and dreams produce eastern art, just as the Parthenon is the representative of conceptual art and the Summer Palace is the representative of fantasy art. ..
Everything that people's imagination can create is almost mythical and has been reflected in this palace. Different from the Parthenon, Yuanmingyuan is not only a unique and unparalleled masterpiece, but also a lofty model of fantasy art-if there can be a fantasy model.
You can imagine a fairyland-like building that you can't describe in words, and that is Yuanmingyuan. This fantastic scene is made of marble, white marble, bronze and porcelain, with cedar beams, gems and silk; Altars, boudoir and castles are distributed among them, and ghosts and gods are located inside; The glass is sparkling and resplendent.
After the skillful craftsman with poet temperament created the fairyland like Arabian Nights, misty gardens, pools and fountains were filled with swans, Bai Niao and peacocks strolling leisurely. Bottom line: This is a dazzling treasure cave full of human magical fantasies in the form of palaces and temples. This is the Yuanmingyuan.
It was formed through the long-term efforts of two generations. Who is this cross-century building like a city built for? For the people of the world. Because the crystallization of history belongs to all mankind. Artists, poets and philosophers all over the world know that there is Yuanmingyuan, and Voltaire will mention it again.
It is often said that Greece has the Parthenon, Egypt has the pyramids, Rome has the Colosseum, Paris has Notre Dame, and the East has the Summer Palace. Some people have never seen it, but they all dream of it. This is an impressive masterpiece unknown to outsiders, just like the beautiful image of distant Asian civilization seen from the horizon of European civilization in the evening.
This miracle no longer exists. One day, two robbers entered the Summer Palace. One robbed, the other set fire. It can be said that victory is a thief's victory, and the two victors together completely destroyed the Yuanmingyuan. People seem to see Elgin's name. He is notorious for dismantling the Parthenon and transporting it back to England.
What happened in the Parthenon was repeated in Yuanmingyuan, and this time it was more violent and thorough, so that every tile was left. All the treasures of all our churches add up to be inferior to this magical and dazzling Oriental Museum. There are not only artistic treasures here, but also countless gold and silver treasures.
What a great achievement! What a windfall! One of the two winners filled his pockets, the other filled his coffers, and then returned to Europe arm in arm with joy. This is the story of two robbers. We Europeans think we are civilized people, but in our eyes, China people are barbarians, but this is what civilized people do to barbarians.
In the judgment seat of history, one robber is called France and the other is called England. But I want to protest, and I thank you for providing me with such an opportunity. The crime committed by the ruler is not the fault of the ruled. The government sometimes becomes a robber, but the people never do.
The French empire pocketed its own money, and now it pretends to be the master, showing off the exquisite antiques stolen from Yuanmingyuan. I believe that the liberated France, which washed away the muddy water, will definitely return this ill-gotten wealth to the plundered China, and this day will surely come.
Before that, I would like to testify that there was a theft, and the perpetrators were two robbers.
Sir, this is my compliment to the expedition to China.
Extended data:
"Two thieves" refers to the incident that the British and French allied forces burned the Yuanmingyuan.
In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), after the British and French allied forces captured Beijing, they occupied Yuanmingyuan. China's defenders were outnumbered, and Wenfeng, the chief minister of Yuanmingyuan, committed suicide by throwing himself into Fuhai. Chang Ai, who lived in the garden, was scared to death. With the support of British Prime Minister Pa Max Don, British leader Elgin ordered the burning of Yuanmingyuan.
3,500 British and French troops rushed into Yuanmingyuan and set fire to it. The fire didn't go out for three days. Yuanmingyuan and its nearby Qingyi Garden, Jingming Garden, Jingyi Garden, Changchun Garden and Haidian Town were all burned into ruins. In Anyou Palace, nearly 300 eunuchs, maids-in-waiting, and craftsmen were buried in the sea of fire. Turn this world-famous garden into ruins. The fire burned for three days and nights and became a rare atrocity in the history of world civilization.
According to rough statistics, the number of cultural relics robbed in Yuanmingyuan is about 6.5438+0.5 million, ranging from bronze ritual vessels in the pre-Qin period in China to famous paintings and calligraphy in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and all kinds of rare treasures. Only the architectural site is left, and the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park has been established.
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