Long Corridor, Summer Palace, Beijing

In 1750 the Qing dynasty's Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–1795) added the Long Corridor to the Summer Palace so his mother could enjoy the gardens without concern for the elements. Like many other buildings in this complex, the Long Corridor was destroyed by the Anglo-French allied forces in 1860; it was rebuilt in 1886.At nearly a half-mile long and including 273 sections and four pavilions, this is the longest corridor among those in classical Chinese gardens. It runs along the shore of Kunming Lake and links the structures alongside Longevity Hill, the main topographical feature in the complex. The beams in the Long Corridor, seen in this photograph, bear more than eight thousand paintings depicting stories from Chinese classical novels, folktales, landscapes, flora and fauna.