Yuan Ming Yuan–Art and Culture of an Imperial Garden-Palace

_{Header image courtesy of Hong Kong Palace Museum}

In collaboration with the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Yuanmingyuan Administration Office of Haidian District of Beijing, as well as the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the “Yuan Ming Yuan–Art and Culture of an Imperial Garden-Palace” exhibition showcases the former glory of the Qing imperial garden Yuanmingyuan, also known as the “Gardens of all Gardens.”

Divided into five sections, namely “Space and Layout,” “Seasonal Festivals,” “The Art of Landscaping,” “Family Ties,” and “Destruction and Ruin,” more than 190 pieces—most of them displayed outside of Yuanmingyuan for the first time—retrace what the garden used to look like, its East-meets-West design, the social life and rituals it housed, the royal family’s life within its walls, and its eventual destruction and conservation efforts since then. 

The Yuanmingyuan imperial garden is a hallmark of Chinese history, culture, and heritage, with its landscaping techniques standing as testimony to the opulence and elegance of the Qing court.

In two rotations, the exhibition includes excavations, paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, architectural models, drawings, prints, and multimedia technology, allowing the mind the imagine the past scenery of the garden.