The Summer Palace was first built in 1750, the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It was burned down by the British and French invasion forces in 1860, and was rebuilt in 1886, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. The Long Corridor has 273 sections decorated with more than 8,000 colored paintings, with a total length of 728 meters. It was named the largest painted corridor in the world by The Guinness Book of Records in 1990.
The beams of the Long Corridor are painted with colored human figure, landscapes, and flowers and birds, all very delicate, vivid, and true to life. The most fascinating of them are the over 200 paintings depicting historical figures, folk tales, myths, legends, and stories from classical novels and historical records. These works are rich in content, covering the 5,000-year history of China.
