The Old Summer Palace
2006 / Mainland China / Documentary / Directed by Jin Tiemu, Xue Jijun
Watched
Dec 29, 2020 3:56 PMThe production is well-crafted, featuring a good number of impressive scene recreations and lays out an organized albeit incomplete foundation for the impending downfall. The downside is that the only introspection shown in the film is the incompetence of the Qing dynasty's royal family at its end. Why limit it to this? Are other significant experiences/moments of the Old Summer Palace thus forgotten? Why does the film not show the allied forces burning down the Old Summer Palace, or the participation of commoners, high officials, and even royalty in looting and selling off stone and timber? The contrast between the Palace after the fire in 1860 and its current state is vast. Does satisfying the audience with mere resentment towards the ineffectual late Qing emperors and the stereotypical view of foreign invaders suffice for the production team? The production quality is quite good, yet the historical event's retelling still has ample room for narrative and reflection. This simplified, biased narrative with a nationalistic perspective is unsatisfactory, leaving one to hope for better renditions in the future.