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This memorial shows Prince G ong ’s moment s of hesitation. Nevertheless, exhausted physically and psychologically, the emperor was fully defeated and thus earnestly impressed upon the prince the importance of securing peace (Jia Zhen 1930, 7:2413–2414; cf. YMYZ 1984, 139; YMYJ 1981, 1:209). It seems that the Qing authorities had already bowed to the harsh reality of defeat when Beijing was surrendered. Both the emperor and the prince, in fact, would have accepted the peace dictated by the victors with or without the burning of the Yuanming Yuan. Prior to the burning, the dust had already settled as the walled Beijing and its strategic Anding Gate were at the enemies’ gunpoint (Knollys 1873, 198). The burning was henceforth unnecessary so far as the conclusion of peace was concerned 去书内
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  • 林勇辉 林勇辉

    This passage analyzes the Qing court’s inevitable surrender and reassesses the real impact of the Yuanming Yuan fire on peace negotiations. The memorial cited captures Prince Gong’s wavering mindset after the looting of imperial gardens. Yet the Xianfeng Emperor, drained physically and mentally by military failure, urged the prince to conclude peace at all costs. By the time Beijing fell, Qing officials had already yielded to the stark fact of defeat. Both the emperor and Prince Gong were ready to accept harsh peace terms imposed by Anglo-French troops regardless of whether the Old Summer Palace was burned. Before the arson took place, the outcome of the conflict was already settled: Beijing city and the crucial Anding Gate were under foreign military control, leaving the Qing with no room to resist. From a diplomatic perspective, the destruction of Yuanming Yuan turned out to be an unnecessary act for forcing peace. Supported by Chinese archival materials and Knollys’ Western records, the text corrects the misconception that the fire was the decisive factor pushing the Qing to compromise. Instead, it proves military occupation of Beijing had already secured victory for foreign powers beforehand.

    2026-06-20 喜欢(0) 回复(0)

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