A 260-year-old imperial garden, once the favorite of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and ruined by a raging fire some 80 years ago, has been restored through a five-year restoration effort.

This is the first restoration project within the Forbidden City, the palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), since the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

The restoration of the Garden of the Palace of Established Happiness was funded by the Hong Kong-based China Heritage Fund at a cost of nearly 100 million yuan (about US$12.5 million).

The restoration was based on historical records, and traditional Chinese technologies were used, said Happy Harun, a deputy of the China Heritage Fund.

"No cement or steel bars were used in restoring the buildings in the garden," said Harun, "we rebuilt the garden just how Emperor Qianlong built it originally."

The garden was first built in 1740 in the northwestern part of the Forbidden City. The Emperor Qianlong housed his cherished antiques in the beautiful garden. But the garden and the numerous antiques were wrecked by a fire in 1923.

Emperor Puyi, or the last emperor of Qing Dynasty, who was still living in the Forbidden City at that time, suspected that the fire was started by the eunuchs who stole lots of antiques from the garden and wanted to destroy the evidence.

Li Yongge, head of the Ancient Building Repair Center of the Palace Museum, said that experts have collected a large amount of historical evidence for the restoration of the garden.

Old pictures and paintings of the Qing Dynasty featuring the garden, as well as aerial photos, were found in France and Taiwan by the China Heritage Fund, which offered reliable basis for the restoration, said Li.

Experts also consulted the unique techniques used to restore a similar garden in the northeast part of the Forbidden City, built in 1771.

The restored garden will be used for academic activities and small exhibitions and reception of important guests, but it will not be open to ordinary tourists, according to officials of the Palace Museum.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2006)