The Great Wall of China, one of the the seven wonders of the world. The walls were built to keep out barbarians, but in 1644, the Manchus, nomads from the north, breached the walls, thus ending Ming Dynasty rule. The Manchus started the Qing Dynasty from 1644 to 1912 when China's last emperor, Pu Yi, was dethroned. So far, the total length of walls discovered by archaeologists total 31,000 miles.
We visited the site of the Ming Tombs. Thirteen of the 16 Ming emperors are buried here. This stretch of road leads to Changling, where the tomb of the emperor Yongle is. The tomb of the emperor Yongle is the biggest and best preserved of the 13 surviving Ming tombs.
We are on the Sacred Road. This 4 mile stretch of road is also known as the Avenue of Stone Figures or Avenue of Ghosts, which is flanked by pairs of stone lions, elephants, camels, horses and mythological creatures, followed by 12 military and civil dignitaries representing the imperial court.
In the third and last courtyard, a steel tower can be found, with an incense basin and other ritual ojects, the "nine stone utensils."
To the east and west of the Ming tombs are the tombs of the 16 imperial concubines, who were buried alive to serve their emperor in the underworld.
|