The Corridor in the Summer Palace
The Long Corridor starts from the Gate of Greeting the Moon (邀月门) in the east and ends at the Marble Boat (石丈亭) in the west. It is 728 meters long with 273 sections, so it is called “Long Corridor”. The Long Corridor lies in front of the Longevity Hill (万寿山) with the Gate of Dispelling Clouds (排云门) in the center. There are a total of 14 000 pictures painted on the beams and crossbeams of the Long Corridor. Each of these pictures is different from one another. These colorful paintings can be divided into 4 kinds: landscapes and scenic spots, beautiful flowers and birds, Chinese architecture and human figures. The beautiful flowers and birds and landscapes were copied from the scenery of the West Lake. In 1990, the Long Corridor was listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest painted corridor in the world.

The central axis line starts from the wharf (码头) next to the lake to the temple of the Sea of Wisdom (智慧海) on the top of the hill. The Gate of Dispelling Clouds is located in the center of the Long Corridor, which serves as the main entrance to the Hall of Dispelling Clouds. Entering the main gate, it is the second gate of the palace. The second gate was the place where Emperor Guangxu kowtowed (叩头) to Empress Dowager Cixi, on her birthday celebration.

The Hall for Listening to Orioles (听鹂馆) was built by Emperor Qianlong for his mother to enjoy Beijing Opera. Later, it was used by Empress Dowager Cixi. Today it is a very nice restaurant. And now we are at the end of the Long Corridor, where we can see the Marble Boat. It was first built in Emperor Qianlong’s reign. There is a famous Chinese saying: “Water can carry a boat, and it also can capsize (翻) it.” Therefore the Marble Boat stood for the stability of the Qing Dynasty and symbolized that the Qing Dynasty would be as solid as a rock and never be overturned.