In Chinese, a corridor is generally called lang. But corridors of different styles may have their own names. A corridor in the shape of a zigzagging belt, for instance, is often called hui lang or qu lang (“winding corridor”). And the word hua lang that you might hear frequently at a classical Chinese garden, is the name for a painted corridor.
Usually built of wood and roofed with tiles, a typical corridor of this kind also features wooden railings or side benches on both sides. Originally built to shelter people from the summer sun as well as the rain and snow, the structure has become a internal part of beauty in many ancient gardens.
Among all of them, the so-named Long Corridor in Beijing's Summer Palace, the former imperial garden, is unrivalled. Stretching 728 meters from Yaoyue Gate in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the west, the corridor has 273 sections in all. In between, there are four double-eaved, octagonal pavilions, respectively symbolizing the four seasons. While lingering in the ingeniously conceived corridor, you'll see the majestic Longevity Hill to the north, and meanwhile, the peaceful Kunming Lake to the south. However, the corridor itself is a fascinating gallery featuring traditional Chinese art as well as the country's history and culture which is thousands of years old.
On the beams of the corridor, there are over 40,000 classical paintings depicting landscapes, flowers and birds, human figures and stories. It is said that if you spent just one second before each painting, you might need several hours to travel through the passage. In 1990, the 240 year old corridor was recorded in The Guinness Book of Records as the largest painted corridor in the world.
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