Long Corridor Paintings at Summer Palace

On the beams of each section of the Long Corridor there are over forty color paintings, each one with a unique story and painted in various styles and sizes. These color paintings can be divided into four categories: human figures and stories, landscapes, flowers and birds, and architecture. Among these, the most fascinating part is certainly the over 200 paintings depicting historic figures, folk and fairy stories and scenes from traditional operas. These works cover thousands of years of history, from the first emperor of China (c. 2100-2000 BC) to the last feudal dynasty which ended early in this century. The long span of history depicted, large scale and rich contents of these paintings are rare in the world. For this album the editors have selected the best and most representative works.