In history, invading troops burned down the Old Summer Palace twice.

The first time the Old Summer Palace was burned down was in the 10th year of Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1860), when the British and French forces invaded Beijing. The British and French allied forces burned, looted, and looted everywhere, burning down the world-famous Old Summer Palace, and most of the temple buildings in the garden were destroyed by fire. When the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace, their original intention was to raze it to the ground. However, due to the large area of ??the Old Summer Palace, scattered scenic spots, and vast waters, some remote places and scenic spots in the water were spared. According to the winter survey in the twelfth year of Tongzhi (1873), there are still 13 buildings in the park. For example, Pengdao Yaotai and Zangzhouwu in Yuanmingyuan, Dagongmen and Zhengjue Temple in Qichun Garden, etc.

The second time the Old Summer Palace was burned was in the 26th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1900). The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing and set fire to the Old Summer Palace again. The 13 remaining royal palace buildings here were looted and burned again.