Yuanmingyuan,before its destruction,was referred to as the"Gardenof Gardens"',since it was a combination of gardens of differentstyles.Chinese and Western.
Yuanmingyuan consisted of three gardens, Yuanmingyuan,Changchunyuan and Qichunyuan. Theycovered 350 hectares.

Plan of the three-in-one garden,with Qichunyuan in the front, Yuanmingyuan on the left,and Changchunyuan on the right.The best-known Western structures were a fountain,a maze(迷宫)and European palaces,all of a Renaissance style.In a small lake wasbuilt a model of Venice.

The emperor’s apartments were adorned with art treasures of anastonishing richness.The garden was beautified by millions of foreignflowers and trees.

The Old Summer Palace yellow array,one of the scenes in the Garden of Perfect Splendour,has been reconstructed.It is a maze ofwinding paths between low walls in the eastern part of the garden.