An old photo of Yuanmingyuan, taken by Felice Beato in 1860 shows the garden before it was destroyed. The item sold for 218,500 pounds ($284,867) during an auction at Sotheby's. [Photo/sothebys.com]

A series of photos presenting China's Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, are a hit online. The pictures were taken by British photographer Felice Beato and German Ernst Ohlmer. There also are detailed illustrations of the site based on the photographs.

The illustrations reveal the beautiful scenery of the former imperial garden before it was burned down by British and French troops in 1860. Netizens were amazed by the landscape and described the former garden as a fairyland.

The following three photos, showing the ruins of Yuanmingyuan, were taken by German Ernst Ohlmer, who was a customs officer during this era in the Qing Dynasty. He took a series of 12 photographs 13 years after Yuanmingyuan was burned down. After leaving his post in China 18 years later, Ohlmer recalled the once glorious garden in his diary: "What came into your eyes were the rich and amazing colors of the architecture against the blue sky of Beijing. As the viewer moves, the shadow of the sun fluctuates. The white marbles reflect the images of the architecture on the lake; all feel like a phantom. The viewer can't help thinking he's stepping into the world of One Thousand and One Nights."

[Photo/Official Weibo account of Takefoto.cn]