''The Burning of Imperial Palace'' ( is a 1983

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

directed by

Li Han-hsiang Richard Li Han-hsiang (; 7 March 1926 in Huludao, Jinxi, Liaoning – 17 December 1996 in Beijing) was a Chinese film director. Li directed more than 70 films in his career beginning in the 1950s and lasting till the 1990s. His ''The Enchanting ...

. Based on the events in China during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

which culminated in the burning of the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

(aka. Yuanming Garden), the film stars

Tony Leung Ka-fai Tony Leung Ka-fai (; born 1 February 1958) is a Hong Kong actor who is a four-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony," while Tony Leu ...

as the

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 t ...

and

Liu Xiaoqing Liu Xiaoqing (born 30 October 1955) is a Chinese actress and businesswoman. She was one of the leading actresses in China in the 1980s. Biography In her early days Liu worked as a farm labourer, then as a propagandist for the People's Liberatio ...

as a young nobel consort

Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

Plot

In 1852, a 17-year-old girl named Yulan is selected into the

Imperial Harem The Imperial Harem ( ota, حرم همايون, ) of the Ottoman Empire was the Ottoman sultan's harem – composed of the wives, servants (both female slaves and eunuchs), female relatives and the sultan's concubines – occupying a secluded po ...

at a triennial selection. Although her beauty is outstanding, she is never given any chance to get closer to the

due to the fact that an ancestor of her clan, the Yehenara clan once vowed to destroy the rival imperial

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as c ...

clan at a woman's hands. One day, while the Emperor is walking in the Yuanming Garden, he is attracted by a song which apparently was sung by Yulan, who was nearby. Falling in love with her temperament, the Emperor first promotes Yulan to the rank of concubine, and further elevates her as a noble consort when she gives birth to his only son one year later. Since then, the imperial couple has enjoyed their marriage life in the Yuanming Garden, where the Emperor often teaches the noble consort how to reply to reports from regional officials. When the Emperor is confronted with the advance of an joint Anglo-French force, Yulan suggests appointing Yixin, Prince Gong as a consultant. At a meeting presided by the Emperor, Yulan and Prince Gong advocate making peace with Western powers, against the majority of the military officials. Yulan's first attempt to directly interfere with government affairs proves successful, as the Emperor accepts her proposal and orders a peace talk at Tungchow, where a heavy Qing Army is stationed. At Tongzhou, British envoy Harry Parkes insists the British and French delegations will make a high-profile entrance into Peking and refuses to salute the Qing Emperor with

genuflection Genuflection or genuflexion is the act of bending a knee to the ground, as distinguished from kneeling which more strictly involves both knees. From early times, it has been a gesture of deep respect for a superior. Today, the gesture is common ...

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin ( mn, Сэнгэринчен, ᠰᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢᠨᠴᠢᠨ) was a Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi em ...

, who was defeated at the Battle of Taku Forts before, angrily reprimands Parkes and challenges him to a

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

match. Sengge Rinchen beats Parkes and takes the foreign delegations into custody. As the negotiations broke down, the cavalry-dominated

Qing Army The Qing dynasty (1636–1912) was established by conquest and maintained by armed force. The founding emperors personally organized and led the armies, and the continued cultural and political legitimacy of the dynasty depended on the ability to ...

suffers disastrous losses at the

Battle of Palikao The Battle of Palikao (french: La bataille de Palikao; ) was fought at the bridge of Palikao by Anglo-French forces against the Qing Empire during the Second Opium War on the morning of 21 September 1860. It allowed Western forces to take the c ...

. The fall of Palikao putting Peking at imminent risk, the Xianfeng Emperor has no choice but to flee to the

Summer Resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort' ...

in Jehol along with the imperial court and to appoint Prince Gong to be in charge of negotiations. The British and French troops enter the Chinese capital. Although Qing resistance is too weak against the

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s-equipped Western powers, a peasant family volunteers to defend the city and kills many soldiers of the joint expeditionary force. The joint army enters the now-emptied Yuanming Garden to hunt for the volunteers, disregarding the weak protest from Qing officials. On 18 October 1860,

Lord Elgin Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the h ...

orders the sacking and complete destruction of the "Palace of All Palaces" with a fire that lasts for three days. The narrator states that the ruins of Yuanming Garden serve as a reminder of " national humiliation".

Cast

as Yulan, Noble Consort Yi *

as the

* Hong Kwan as Sushun * Chan Wah as the

Empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

* Wong Pui as

Duanhua Duanhua (Manchu: ''Duwanhūwa''; 1807 – 1861) was a Manchu prince and regent of the Qing dynasty. Life Duanhua was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the third son of Ulgungga (烏爾恭阿), a descendant of Jirgalang, a nephew of Nu ...

, Prince Zheng of the First Rank *

Zhang Tielin Zhang Tielin (born 15 June 1957) is a British actor and film director. He is best known for portraying the Qianlong Emperor in the first two seasons of the Chinese television series ''My Fair Princess''. Early life and education Zhang was born ...

Prince Gong Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceKung or Gong, was an imperial prince of the Aisin Gioro clan and an important statesman of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. He was a regent of the empire from 1861 to 18 ...

* Li Yan as

* Pang Wanning as Harry Parkes

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burning of Imperial Palace Films set in the 1860s Films directed by Li Han-hsiang Films set in Beijing Hong Kong drama films 1980s Mandarin-language films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films set in 19th-century Qing dynasty 1983 drama films 1983 films 1980s Hong Kong films