The original text is as follows:

In a corner of the world, there is a great miracle of mankind, and this miracle is the Old Summer Palace. This miracle is now gone. One day, two robbers broke into the Old Summer Palace. One robber plundered, another set fire to it. Judging from their behavior, the victors may also be robbers.

An unprecedented looting of the Old Summer Palace began, and the two conquerors divided the loot equally. What a great achievement, a windfall from heaven! One of the two victors filled his pocket, and the other saw it and filled his box. Then, arm in arm and laughing, they returned to Europe. Such is the history of these two robbers.

In the face of history, one of these two robbers is called France and the other is called Britain.

This article is excerpted from "Letter to Captain Butler on the British-French Allied Forces Expedition to China". It is an article selected from Volume 11 of "The Collected Works of Hugo" and translated by Cheng Zenghou. The article was selected into junior high school Chinese textbooks.

Extended information:

The writing background of "Letter to Captain Butler regarding the British-French Allied Forces Expedition to China":

"Letter to Captain Butler Regarding the British-French Allied Forces Expedition to China" "The Captain's Letter" is an article based on the Anglo-French Allied Forces' War of Invasion of China. Captain Butler originally wanted to use Hugo's prominent reputation to support the so-called victory of the expedition to China. However, Hugo, an upright writer, did not have narrow nationalist sentiments and instead represented human conscience. In this letter, China strongly condemned the banditry of the British and French forces who burned down the Old Summer Palace.

What is commendable about Hugo is not only that his stance is not narrow nationalism, but from the perspective of the masses, the world, and mankind. He publicly rebuked the government for being like a bandit, confusing right and wrong, and not He is ashamed of this, but proud of it; it is also because he cherishes the achievements of human civilization and respects the creators of human civilization.

He pointed out that "everything created by time belongs to human beings" is a very thorough understanding. Therefore, he praised the Chinese nation, expressed his sympathy and respect for the Chinese people, and angrily condemned the crimes of the invaders.

Baidu Encyclopedia—"Letter to Captain Butler on the British-French Allied Forces Expedition to China"