As someone who's lived in China for almost three years now, I think you are getting a picture of how little I have seen tourist attractions in Beijing.  Of course I  have been to the Great Wall, if I hadn't that would really be cheeping myself out of China's long and interesting history.  So yesterday I saw the Summer Palace with our guests, the Vander Arks.  This has been the second visit I've had to the Summer Palace, but this time we hired a tour guide and I was able to get a deeper insight on what really happened hundreds of years ago.  The Summer Palace was a sort of resort form the royalty of China.  The emperor would use a canal that directly connects the Forbidden city, the emperor's home, and the Summer Palace to get there.  One of my favorite parts about this place is the "long corridor".  This is an open ait covered walk way that connects a long stretch between two buildings.  On this corridor's beams supporting the roof you can see Chinese paintings that have been preserved from years ago.  All the paintings that cover the inside of the corridor amount to over 8,000 in the whole length of it!  I found it very interesting because of my love for Chinese painting.  The Summer palace as a whole is a magnificent cluster of red gold and blue buildings scattered around a large lake who reflects the grandness of the tallest circular building built right into a small mountain.  It is truly a magnificent "resort, even for a king!