Some of the earliest and most important photographs of Yuanmingyuan, or the old Summer Palace in Beijing, are now on display at the World Art Museum in Beijing.

A German photographer documented the remains of the imperial garden around 1870, ten years after its destruction by the allied forces of France and Britain. This is the first time these precious photographs have been introduced to the public.

This is the first time these precious photographs have been introduced to the public.

Many stories are told through these extremely rare photographs of the burned architectural and landscape complex taken 140 years ago. Its continuous expansion by several generations of Qing Emperors for 150 years. And its tragic destruction in only a few hours.

The exhibition offers an emotional account for Chinese to mourn their past relics, as well as a support for an extensive study of the building of the palaces and their subsequent destruction.

Ernst Ohlmer worked as a professional photographer and ran his own studio in Xiamen, a coastal city in east China in 1867. He later became a customs officer and worked in China for 46 years.

In 1873, Ohlmer shot many photographs on the ruins of Yuanmingyuan. He retired in 1914 and took the negatives to Germany. After his death in 1927, his widow gave them to German architect Ernst Boerschmann who kept them in the German town of Hildesheim.

In 1933, Chinese scholar Teng Gu discovered the negatives during his visit to Germany. Amazed, Teng Gu borrowed the negatives, brought them to China and published a photo album. Later, he returned them to Germany, but the negatives were said to be lost during World War Two.