Ming Tombs And Sacred
Way
Ming Tomb is one of the top ten attractions
in Beijing. The Memorial Arch, built of white marble,
was erected in 1540. It is 12 metres high and 31 metres
wide, and has 5 arches supported by 6 pillars with beautiful
bas-relief carvings of lions, dragons and lotus flowers.
Double lintels link the six pillars. The roofing is
made of round marble tiles, with upturned corners. "The
way of the spirit" used to pass beneath the Memorial
Arch. The Big Red Gate was built in 1426. It used to
have three huge wooden doors. The central opening was
used by the dead emperor alone, and living ministers
and imperial family members had to use one of the side
openings when they came to pay homage to the deceased
emperors. About 500 yards (A yard is equal to 0.914
metre.) from the Big Red Gate stands the Tablet House
built in 1435. A marble column, known as huabiao, stands
at each corner of the Tablet House. A huge tablet, 7
metres high, stands in the middle of the house on the
back of a tortoise. The front side bears an inscription
by the fourth Ming emperor. On the reverse side is an
inscription carved during Qing Emperor Qianlong's reign.
It described the reconstruction of the Ming Tombs. in
1785 and commented on the rules and styles of the Ming
Tombs.
Now we come to the famous avenue of
stone animals and statues. Stone animials and statues
are found at the entrance to imperial tombs from the
Han Dynasty onwards, but none of the group is as famous
as that of the Ming Tombs.
The avenue starts with two columns,
called wangzhu in Chinese, one on each side. They are
hexagonal, carved with a cloud design, and the top is
shaped like a round cylinder. The animals are lions,
Xiezhi was a mythical beast of the feline family, said
to be able to distinguish right and wrong. Qilin was
a sort of imaginary animal with a scaly body, a cow's
tail', deer's hooves and horns on its head.
With "the way of the spirit"
turning slightly, the statues appear: two military officers
wearing sabres, two civilian officials and two ministers
of merit. Six statues on each side and twelve in all.
These animals and statues all date
from the 15th century. It is interesting to compare
them with those at the tomb of the first Ming Emperor
in Nanjing, which are scarcely any older and yet much
less fine. They were all meant to serve the dead in
the next world. They do give people a sense of solemnity
on the way leading to the Tombs, don't they?
Tourists to Beijing can now enjoy
an aerial view of Ming Tombs and Great Wall. During
a trial period from March till June, 1985, about 10,00o
Chinese sightseers flew over the areas in four helicopters.
The Tourist Transportation Company of Changping County
then officially started helicopter sightseeing service
for foreigners over the famous sites on July 1,1985.
Passengers board helicopters at a pad five kilometres
south of the Ming Tombs. Each helicopter carries up
to 25 passengers and cruises at 150 kilometres per hour.
The flight over the Ming Tombs area is at an altitude
of about 250 metres.
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