The Summer Palace was first built in 170, 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 paitings, 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 figures, landscapes, and flowers and birds, all very delicate, vivid, and true to life. The most fascinating of them are the over 200 paintings from classical novels and historical records. These works are rich in content, covering the 5,000-year history of China.

　　The Stories Behind the Long Corridor Paintings at the Summer Palace, published by New World Press has recorded all these beautiful pictures and attractive stories behind them both in Chinese and English. You can get it in most book stores in Beijing and subway book stalls of nearly every subway station of Beijing.