The Summer Palace was first built in 1750, 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 paintings, 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 depicting historical figures, folk tales, myths, legends, and stories from classical novels and historical records. These works are rich in content, covering the 5,000-year history of China.
This is a story from the classical novel The Romance of the Tree Kingdoms. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, in 190, Dong Zhou led 200,000 troops to capture Luoyang, the capital city. He dethroned Liu Bian and made Liu Xie the emperor, with the title Emperor Xian, and himself the prime minister. He had the emperor and all the ministers under his thumb. A conspiracy was hatched, led by Cao Cao, who one day was discovered to be carrying a concealed sword, as he intended to assassinate Dong Zhuo. The quick-witted Cao Cao however pretended to have brought the precious sword as a present for Dong Zhuo, and thus escaped execution.
This is another story from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In 196, Zhuge Liang was living in seclusion in Nanyang. General Liu Bei, who wanted to restore the rule of the Han Dynasty, paid three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage to ask for his help. Liu Bei was finally received by Zhuge Liang on his third visit. Zhuge Liang suggested that Liu Bei give way to Cao Cao in the north and Sun Quan in the south and first take Jingzhou, then Xichuan, and finally the Central Plains. Later Zhuge Liang assisted Liu Bei in carryng out their plan made in Longzhong and built the ShuKingdom, determining the triangular balance of power of the three kingdoms.
Zhou Dunyi, of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), was the founder of a school of Taoism. As an official, he was renowned for his integrity. Resigning his post because of illness, he returned home to live in seclusion at the foot of Lotus flowers, and wrote a famous essay, entitled, "Love for Lotus Flowers," part of which goes: "Born in mud, lotus flowers are not sullied; washed by clear ripples, they are not coquettish." He expressed his firm will and attitude towards life by singing the praises of lotus flowers.
From The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Xu Shu was Liu Bei's military advisor. Cao Cao, Liu Bei's arch-enemy, wrote a letter to Xu Shu in which he pretended to be the latter's mother, and begged Xu Shu to rescue her from Cao Cao's camp. When he left, Xu Shu recommended the master strategist Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei as his replacement.
頤和園長廊彩繪故事
頤和園長廊彩繪故事
頤和園長廊彩繪故事
頤和園長廊彩繪故事
頤和園長廊彩繪故事