Beijing park celebrates 30 years with charity art auction

A charity program was held in Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park in Beijing in honor of the 30th anniversary of its opening to the public.

More than 20 top-tier artists from the China National Academy of Painting, including Yang Xiaoyang, director of the institution, participated in a project to create ink-wand-water artworks on Thursday. All the revenue raised through the auction of the paintings will be donated to Yuanmingyuan Foundation to be used for the future restoration, exhibition, and repatriation of cultural relics and lost artifacts.

Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Old Summer Palace, was a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Though it was the zenith among ancient Chinese gardens, notably for its large scale and exquisite design, it was sacked and burnt down by the invading Anglo-French Alliance Forces in 1860.

Since founding of Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park on June 29, 1988, much work has been done to preserve relics and the archeology of the site, as well as improve the environment.

Many other activities have been organized in the park; for example, it was recently announced that it would be used as a training center for dragon boat racing teams.

According to the administration of the park, it attracts more than 10 million annual visitors.

Also, as part of the event program honoring the anniversary, 100 high school students from China's "old revolutionary regions"— the hubs where the Communist Party of China first began their revolutionary careers in the 1920s — were invited to an educational program on Friday to promote patriotism.