Wednesday 30 October 2013

Ming Emperor Yongle and the Ming dynasty Tombs, Beijing

When entering the great hall of the first Ming tomb, you see a statue of Emperor Yongle on his throne. He reigned from the late 14th century up to 1424. There are 13 similar tombs in the Beijing region. The buildings are now museums and many artefacts from the Ming Dynasty are on display. We visited three different tombs.

The tombs are connected by the “Spirit Way”. This is a walking path on which every 50 to a 100 metres you encounter a giant Chinese statue. They show us warriors, animals and mythical creators.

Toen we de grote hal van het eerste Ming graf binnen gingen werden we onmiddellijk geconfronteerd met een standbeeld van Keizer Yongle op zijn troon. Hij regeerde van de tweede helft van de 14de eeuw tot 1424. Er zijn 13 soortgelijke Ming graven te bezichtigen in de omgeving van Beijing. De grote gebouwen worden nu als museum gebruikt en vele overblijfselen uit de Ming dynastie worden hier tentoongesteld. We hebben drie verschillende graven bezocht. 

De graven worden met elkaar verbonden door de “Spirit Way” of de weg der geesten. Dat is een wandelpad waarop iedere 50 tot honderd meter een groot standbeeld staat. Deze beelden strijders, dieren en mythische figuren uit. 
 
Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing Emperor Yongle

Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Spirit Way Beijing

Spirit Way Beijing

Spirit Way Beijing

Spirit Way Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Ming Tomb Beijing

Previous Beijing article: Enjoying the imperial gardens and the Summer Palace, Beijing

Previous Tomb article: The tomb of Kilic Ali Pasa and his mosque, Istanbul

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15 comments:

  1. Reuzenstandbeelden zijn dat wel!

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  2. great walk! love the animal sculptures...thanks for the digi-tour:-))

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  3. Love the walkway between these tombs! Just think of all the people who have walked this path!

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  4. Everything seems very gigantic, like land of the giants! I think my favorite is the beautiful kneeling elephant!

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  5. nice place, beautiful pictures and great post....!

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  6. great pictures of the royal tomb

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  7. An amazing culture and history. The walk with those magnificent statues looked wonderful.

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  8. Interesting to note how history has been preserved and shown in many ways. I have not been to Beijing but had a great time in Kilic Al Pasa and Istanbul.

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  9. My favourites today are the wonderful animal sculptures.

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  10. Wonderful statues, bet they took some making.

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  11. The Ming Dynasty is very interesting period in the history,
    greetings

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  12. Your photos bring back memories of my own visit.

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  13. prachtige standbeelden Filip. Groetjes Dietmut

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