The Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park consists of the Yuanmingyuan Garden (Garden of Perfect Brightness), the Changchun Garden (Garden of Eternal Spring) and the Qichun Garden (Garden of Elegant Spring). The entire park occupied a total area of 352 hectares. Yuanmingyuan was first built in the 46th year of the Kangxi era (1707 AD). It was a massive imperial garden, built and improved in a long span of over 150 years under the decrees of the six Qing emperors including Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Xianfeng. The Qing emperors constantly visited the garden for the management of state affairs and for entertainments. During her heyday, Yuanmingyuan was the “perfection of all landscape and garden designs”. As an imperial garden, it diffused a majestic splendour while at the same time exhibited the elegance of private gardens in the south. Displaying the aesthetics of both Chinese and Western gardens, Yuanmingyuan was reputed as the “Garden of Gardens”.

    In the 10th year of the Xianfeng era (1860 AD), the British and French troops looted and burned Yuanmingyuan down. Although the government attempted to renovate it in the 12th year of the Tongzhi era (1873 AD), the construction was suspended due to financial strain. In the 26th year of the Guangxu era (1900 AD) when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, the remains of Yuanmingyuan were totally destroyed. In the third year of the Republican era (1914 AD), the Imperial Household Department of the Qing government put Yuanmingyuan under the administration of the Summer Palace. The garden was reduced to ruins due to embezzlement, thefts and destruction over time.

    Following the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Party and the Chinese government took various measures to protect and preserve the ruins of Yuanmingyuan. In 1956, landscape work was conducted, and in 1976, Yuanmingyuan Management Office started to take  protective measures and pressed ahead with conservation projects on a large scale. In January 1988, the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park was included into the third batch of Major National Cultural Heritage Sites and open to public on June 29 the same year. In June 1997, the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China listed the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park as one of the first batch of National Patriotism Education Bases. In 2000 and 2001, the National Administration of Cultural Heritage and Beijing People's Government approved the Plan for the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park and recognized it as an important guidance for further protection and utilization. On October 9, 2010, the National Administration of Cultural Heritage listed the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park as one of the first batch of National Archaeological Ruins Parks. On January 7, 2020, the Yuanmingyuan park at Haidian District, Beijing became an AAAAA Tourist Attractions of China. On December 1 the same year, the National Administration of Cultural Heritage instructed the Yuanmingyuan Management Office to take custody of the bronze horse head once looted from Yuanmingyuan. This was also the first time that a displaced cultural artifact in Yuanmingyuan was recovered.