At a distance of
50
km northwest of
Beijing stands an
arc-shaped cluster of hills fronted by a small plain. Here is where 13 emperors
of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) were buried, and the area is known as the Ming Tombs.
Construction of the tombs started in 1409 and ended with the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. In over 200 years tombs were built over an area of 40 square kilometers, which is surrounded by walls total 40 kilometers. Each tomb is located at the foot of a separate hill and is linked with the other tombs by a road called the
This has to do with people's different views on death.
By contrast, during
the Ming Dynasty established by Han Chinese coming from an agricultural society
in central China , people believed
the existence of an after-world, where the dead "lived" a life similar to that
of the living. Ming emperor, therefore, has grand mausoleums built for
themselves. Qing rulers did likewise.
The stone archway at
the southern end of the Sacred
Way , built in 1540, is
14 meters high and 19 meters wide, and is decorated with designs of clouds,
waves and divine animals. Well-proportioned and finely carved, the archway is
one of the best preserved specimens of its kink in the Ming Dynasty. It is also
the largest ancient stone archway in China .
The Stele Pavilion,
not far from the Great Palace Gate, is actually a pavilion with a double-evade
roof. On the back of the stele is carved poetry written by Emperor Qianlong of
the Qing Dynasty when he visited the Ming
Tombs.
The
Sacred
Way inside the gate of
the Ming Tomb is lined with 18 pairs of stone human figures and animals. These
include four each of three types of officials: civil, military and meritorious
officials, symbolizing those who assist the emperor in the administration of the
state, plus four each of six types of animals: lion, griffin, camel, elephant,
unicorn and horse.
Yongling, built in
1536, is the tomb for Emperor Shizong, Zhu Houcong (1507-1566). He stayed in
power for 45 years.
The Dingling Tomb is
the tomb of Emperor Wanli (reigned 1573-1619), the 13th emperor of the Ming
Dynasty, whose personal name was Zhu Yijun, and of his two empresses, Xiao Duan
and Xiao Jing. The tomb was completed in six years (1584-1590), it occupies a
total area of 1,195 square meters at the foot of Dayu
Mountain southwest of the
Changling Tomb.
Emperor Xianzong,
Zhu Jianshen, and his three empresses are entombed within Maoling. Zhu Jianshen
(1447-1487) was the first son of Emperor Yingzong. He stayed in power for 22
years.
We have covered some
of the most significant tombs of the 13 Ming tombs in the tour. If you are also
interested in the other tombs, the best way is to come and experience yourself.
Changling is the
tomb of emperor Yongle (reigned 1403-1424), the third emperor of the Ming
Dynasty whose personal name was Zhu Di, and of his empress. Built in 1413, the
mausoleum extends over an area of 100,000 square meters. The soul tower, which
tells people whose tomb it is, rests on a circular wall called the "city of
treasures" which surrounds the burial mound. The "city of treasures" at
Changling has a length of more than a
kilometer.
The underground
palace at Dingling Tomb consists of an antechamber, a central chamber and a rear
chamber plus the left and right annexes. One of the pictures shows the central
chamber where the sacrificial utensils are on display. Two marble doors are made
of single slabs and carved with life-size human figures, flowers and birds. More
than 3,000 articles have been unearthed from the tumulus, the most precious
being the golden crowns of the emperor and his
queen.
No comments:
Post a Comment