The Long Gallery(simplified Chinese: 长廊; traditional Chinese: 長廊; pinyin: Cháng Láng; literally “the Long Gallery”) is located between the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. The total length of the gallery is 728 meters, making it the longest gallery in the world. It is most famous for the colorful paintings on the roof of the gallery. Some of them present sceneries of mountains and lakes, some depict beautiful flowers and birds, others even tell stories in classical Chinese literature such as A Dream of Red Mansion and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
There used to be no paintings along the Long Gallery. It is Empress Ci Xi who ordered to paint them. Why would she do so? It is said that although the Summer Palace was filled with beautiful sceneries, Empress Ci Xi felt bored after she had lived in it for a while. She hoped that she could see numerous different views without walking for a long time. Her servants then lighted her to the idea to paint the gallery with all kinds of attractions and stories. Soon after that, the Long Gallery became colorful. Empress Ci Xi was very satisfied with the renovated gallery.
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