Page 106 - Collecting and Displaying China's Summer Palace in the West

“Chinese Gordon” and the Royal Engineers Museum 91
the museum collection in high esteem. The word “loot” does not appear anywhere
on the label. It does mention that the Summer Palace was “destroyed” in the con -
text of the “ill-treatment of British and French hostages.” Neither side is seriously
indicted here, as there is no mention of purposefully burning the Summer Palace, nor
of the torture and executions committed by the Chinese. The label goes on to say
that “during this destruction a large number of objects were removed.” “Removed”
is perhaps the least emotive word that could have been used here. The text says a
brief word about the Summer Palace itself and its significance within China:

The Summer Palace which was known as the Yuanmingyuan, or Garden of Perfect
Brilliance, had been the favourite summer residence of the imperial court since
the early 1700s and was part of an elaborate complex of gardens. It was one of
a series of European-style palaces, designed by Jesuits attached to the Chinese
court, which were also ruined.

This effort to set the objects in their original context is commendable, arguably it
could go much further but it is only an introduction to a set of object labels.

Objects from the “Summer Palace”
The display case contains a total of 31 items associated with the Second Opium War.
They came to the museum from a number of different donors and one object remains
on loan. 14 Of the 31, 21 are mentioned as being from the Summer Palace, although
in many cases it is stated that they are “likely” to have been taken from there, as
the item’s provenance is not certain.
One of the more interesting objects is “Gordon’s Throne.” This is a long rosewood
bench, featuring carvings of mixed subjects. The throne occupies almost the entire
floor space of the case. It is for this reason that it is not displayed as a standalone
piece, but as a plinth for smaller objects within the display case. This object, although
taken from the Summer Palace, now appears in a different form from its original
state. It is believed that the bench was fashioned from panels from an imperial
throne. It was disassembled and packed for transport to England and reassembled
after arrival. The throne appears to comprise two or three different styles and the
end panels appear to have been fitted sideways suggesting, perhaps, the original throne
may have been square. In 1987 Charles Aylmer (now Head of Chinese Department,
Cambridge University Library) felt that the most likely place that the throne originated
from was the Guan Shui fa, “place for watching fountains playing” or “throne for
viewing the waterworks” and was for outside use. 15 Today, the seat of the throne is
not covered by anything: it is a neutrally coloured display surface that holds other
objects.
The bench was presented to the RE Officer’s Mess at the Regimental Headquarters
in Chatham on behalf of Gordon in 1861. During the nineteenth century, it was
situated between portraits of Victoria and Albert, in the main dining room. During
the early twentieth century, the bench had moved to the east end of the dining room,
located underneath a portrait of King George V, before returning to its original
position by the 1950s. 16 Both positions are prestigious locations, focal points for
speeches for example. It remained at the Mess until loaned to the RE Museum in