The Summer Palace started to be constructed in 1750 under the orders of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796). Originally called "The Garden of Clear Ripples" (清漪园Qing Yi Yuan) the garden was considerably enlarged and embellished after the gigantesque work of the 100 000 laborers who worked on this imperial retreat for years. Like during many other historical events, the garden burned down with the invasion of Anglo-French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War (1856-1860). That was just after the reconstruction of the garden under Empress Dowager Cixi's reign in 1888 that the garden was renamed the "Summer Palace". Being a place inspiring peace and harmony, the Summer Palace progressively started to be the permanent residence of the Imperial family that constructed pavilions and other small parts of the actual park that we can visit today. Burnt down a second time in 1900 after the Boxer Rebellion (1898-1901) and reconstructed another time, the Summer Palace was opened to public in 1924. This was only in 1998 that the great beauty of the garden was revealed after the recognition of the site as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage as well as a National 5A Tourist Spot of China.