Virtual reality brings Old Summer Palace back to life
![]() |
| The restoration scenery of the Fanghu Wonderland at the Old Summer Palace during the period of the Qianlong emperor in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). [Photo/Asianewsphoto] |
The team, lead by Guo Daiheng, a professor from the Architecture School of Tsinghua, briefed their digital study on the imperial palace and their achievements at a press conference on April 18.
Guo's mentor was well-known late Chinese architect Liang Sicheng. It took Guo and her team 15 years to complete the digital restoration.
The Old Summer Palace in northwest Beijing was first constructed in the early 18th century as a site to honor the best of Chinese landscaping and Western styles. The garden used to cover 350 hectares, with a perimeter of 10 kilometers.
However, in 1860, Anglo-French forces sacked and looted the Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan, and burned it to the ground. From then on, the park suffered continual damage at the hands of the Eight-Power Allied Forces (composed of Britain, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, Japan, Italy and Austria), warlords, bandits, and the entire site has been in ruins since.
- Rainy season brings Guizhou waterfall to thunderous splendor
- Diplomats, experts highlight role of skills training ahead of WorldSkills event
- Top court reiterates zero tolerance for child abuse
- Liaocheng hosts 160 athletes at Asian university dragon boat contest
- China to launch activities marking National Science and Technology Workers’ Day
- Study finds once-weekly HIIT burns fat as effectively as three sessions

































