Beijing, a garden of violence

This paper examines the history of Beijing in relation to gardens - imperial, princely, public and private - and the impetus of the 'gardener', in particular in the twentieth-century. Engaging with the theme of 'violence in the garden' as articulated by such scholars as Zygmunt Bauman and Martin Jay, I reflect on Beijing as a 'garden of violence', both before the rise of the socialist state in 1949, and during the years leading up to the 2008 Olympics.