The Garden of Perfect Brightness
!["Yuan Ming Yuan Si Shi Jing Tu Yong" [圆明园四十景图咏] = 40 Landscape Paintings of Old Summer Palace with Poems. Received from the Embassy of China in Australia, this book is a limited edition publication printed in China in 2005](images/nla.int-nl40017-sc6.jpg)
Qianlong, Emperor of China, 1711-1799, Yuan Ming Yuan si shi jing tu yong. Limited edition publication printed in China in 2005
!["Yuan Ming Yuan Si Shi Jing Tu Yong" [圆明园四十景图咏] = 40 Landscape Paintings of Old Summer Palace with Poems. Received from the Embassy of China in Australia, this book is a limited edition publication printed in China in 2005](images/nla.int-nl40017-sc1.jpg)
Qianlong, Emperor of China, 1711-1799, Yuan Ming Yuan si shi jing tu yong. Limited edition publication printed in China in 2005
In January 2009 the National Library received a magnificent gift from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Zhang Junsai donated a facsimile copy of Yuan Ming Yuan si shi jing tu yong (Illustrated Odes to the Forty Scenes of the Garden of Perfect Brightness). It is a beautiful modern colour production based on a famous work from 1745. The high quality 21st century version was published in 2005 and appears to have been specially produced for gift purposes. The volume consists of 42 leaves, folded accordion style, and is housed in a specially made camphorwood case.
The original ‘Illustrated Odes to the Forty Scenes’ was produced in 1745 by order of the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) to celebrate his major achievement, the development of the Yuan Ming Yuan or Garden of Perfect Brightness, just outside the Chinese capital. This was the main imperial pleasure garden and seat of government for much of the Qing or Manchu dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 to 1911. It was during Qianlong’s long reign from 1736 to 1795 that this vast complex of palaces, gardens, lakes and other features attained its greatest glory. The illustrated work is one of several about imperial gardens and related themes which appeared during the Qing period. They contained poems by emperors, in this case by Qianlong himself. The verses are accompanied by paintings depicting his favourite scenes in the gardens. They were commissioned by the emperor and created by the artists Shen Yuan (fl. 1744) and Tang Dai (1673–1752).
The Garden of Perfect Brightness suffered a terrible fate. In 1860, after the Second Opium War, British and French troops sacked and partially burnt the palaces and gardens. This was in retaliation for the death of European envoys at the hands of Qing officials. The scroll paintings of the 40 scenes were removed and are now held at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. During the following decades the gardens fell into greater ruin. As the eminent Australian scholar of Chinese studies, Geremie Barme, has remarked, “today it is in the ‘Odes to the Forty Scenes of the Yuan Ming Yuan’ written by Qianlong that the palace survives.”
Andrew Gosling



