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Ming Tombs
Lead by a seven kilometer "spirit way" to the Ming Tomb, the scenery along the way is charming. It starts with a triumphal arch, then goes through the Palace Gate, where officials had to dismount, and passes a giant tortoise (made in 1425) bearing the largest stele in China. A guard of 12 sets of stone animal follows this. Dingling was the first of the tombs to be excavated and opened to the public, followed by Changling and Zhaoling. The architecture is typical of the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644) as 13 of the total 16 Ming emperors are buried in this 40 sq. km area. Inside the Dingling Museum is a wax figure of Genghis Khan.