As a chinese, everyone knows about “火烧圆明园” (Burning of the Yuan
Ming Yuan). It has been made into movie several times. Along
with movies of Opium War (known as 八国联军 (Eight-Nation Alliance))
, and many kungfu hero movies, it's heavily tied with Chinese
nationalism. If you ask a random Chinese on what really
happened, the answer would be similar to if you ask a American
about “Pearl Harbor”, or if you ask a Mexican about
Mexican–American War. You can feel the pride in their blood. But
what really happened? Here's Wikipedia: Old Summer Palace; 圆明园.
Excerpts: The Old Summer Palace (aka Yuan Ming Yuan) …, was a
complex of palaces and gardens in Beijing. …, built in 1707 〜
1800s, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and
handled government affairs… Known for its extensive collection
of garden and building architectures and other works of art. …
were made up of three gardens … Together they covered an area of
3.5 square kilometres (860 acres). They were almost 5 times the
size of the Forbidden City, and 8 t