ABSTRACT
Much of the exhibition space within the Victorian section of the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, Kent, UK is devoted to a particular celebrity of that era, Major General Charles Gordon. Among his many nicknames is "Chinese Gordon," named so for his exploits in China, both while serving in the British Army during the Second Opium War but also for his subsequent achievements in defeating the Taiping Rebellion while leading the "Ever Victorious Army." The chapter focuses on Gordon’s involvement in the sacking of the Summer Palace in Beijing and the material culture that the Royal Engineers Museum holds as a result of this event. During the Second Opium war, Gordon was serving with the Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers had established a headquarters near the north-western gate of Beijing. Gordon was a significant figure within Victorian society, and is a much venerated figure within the Corps of Royal Engineers.
