Long Corridor of the Summer Palace

The long corridor of the Summer Palace was said to be built for facilitating Emperor Qianlong’s mother to view the snow-rain landscape of Kunming Lake(昆明湖). Qianlong was the fourth emperor of Qing Dynasty and he liked horticulture very much and also had filial piety to his mother. For celebrating his mother’s 60th birthday, Emperor Qianlong mobilized massive manpower and resources to expand Kunming Lake and built Qingyi Garden(清漪园) as well as Da Baoen Temple(大报恩寺) on Wen Mountain. Hereafter, Wen Mountain(翁山) was named Wanshou Mountain(万寿山). Emperor’s mother often appreciated the snow view in garden. For facilitating the travel of his mother as well as for avoiding his mother suffering from raining and snowing, Emperor Qianlong built a long corridor as well on the border between Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake.

Emperor Qianlong’s mother liked listening to story. She used to be enjoying the various stories of her ladies-in-waiting when viewing the landscape of the outside. Some of stories that she preferred were narrated again and again. But as the time went, the stories of these ladies-in-waiting were run out and the stories told before have almost forgotten by Emperor’s mother. It really made these ladies-in-waiting in trouble. Afterwards, Emperor’s mother came up with a perfect idea that she demanded the workmen painted the contents of stories onto the beams. Later on, the told stories collected more and more, and the paintings on the beams also became more and more diversified. This is said to be one of the origins of these life-like paintings on beams in corridors of The Summer Palace.

Writer: David from Seeraa International
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