CHINA - CITYVIEWS

The Long Corridor in the Summer Palace, Beijing

The Long Corridor is a covered walkway in the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It is famous for its length (728 m) in conjunction with its rich painted decoration (more than 14,000 paintings). The Long Corridor was first built in 1750, when the Qianlong Emperor commissioned work to convert the area into an imperial garden. The corridor was constructed so that the emperor's mother could enjoy a walk through the gardens protected from the elements. Like most of the Summer Palace, the Long Corridor was severely damaged by fire which Anglo-French allied forces laid in 1860 during the Second Opium War. It was rebuilt in 1886. As a part of the Summer Palace, the Long Corridor was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December, 1998. The paintings depict episodes from Chinese classical literature, folk tales, both historical and legendary figures, and famous Chinese buildings and landscapes along with flowers, birds, fish, and insects. In each of the four pavilions, there are two major paintings over the two doorways on the eastern and western sides.

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: TManjaro1

 

 

Another postcard showing The Long Corridor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: fotapeter

Zhouzhuang

Zhouzhuang is a town in Jiangsu province, China. Zhouzhuang is a popular tourist destination. It is one of the most famous water townships in China, noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses and the elegant watery views. It has been called the "Venice of the East".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: truly_ctr

Yueyang Tower

 

Yueyang Tower is an ancient Chinese tower in Yueyang, Hunan Province, on the shore of Lake Dongting. Alongside the Pavilion of Prince Teng and Yellow Crane Tower, it is one of the Three Great Towers of Jiangnan. The history of Yueyang Tower dates from the Three Kingdoms Period, when Lu Su, commander in chief of the forces of Wu, was sent to the area to fortify it and train the fleet there. To ease the inspection and command of ships he constructed a tower near the strategic location where Lake Dongting joins the Yangtze River, from which the whole of Lake Dongting was visible. This inspection tower, then called the Ba Ling Tower after the nearby city of Ba Ling, was the first incarnation of Yueyang Tower.

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: bearbu