May 2010. As I said many entries ago (in fact it was last year in May), I was "summoned" to China to help on work, thus I go dutifully. As it was a 2 weeks trip, I decided to take a tour package over the weekend, else I will be bored to death. On the first day, I covered The Ming Dynasty Tombs, Great Wall of China, Summer Palace, Forbidden City etc. Since the content will be a lot for 1 entry, I am breaking these sightseeing places to few entries. The first site the tour agent took me was The Ming Dynasty Tombs, here how the story goes...
The Ming Dynasty Tombs (Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty) are located some 50 kilometers due north in Tianshou Mountain (originally Mount Huangtu), Yongle Emperor selected this burial site and created his own mausoleum - The Ming tombs of the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. 
The Emperor (no one will ever doubt that huh!)
In 2000, UNESCO designated the collection of tombs and burial complexes a World Heritage Sites.The sites for the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs had been selected using Feng Shui (geomancy) as a way of prohibiting evil spirits and destructive winds from the North. An arc-shaped area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of Beijing served that purpose well. The forty square kilometer area, enclosed by the mountains in a pristine, quiet valley full of dark earth, tranquil water with met the requirements of Feng Shui.
Check out the size of this tomb, it's almost like a palace with it's own hill park or something. Don't you agree with me?! Or... that was the intention... his own palace in the after world. Hemmm.... definitely something to ponder.
Don't you just wonder how long it took the artist t hand paint and make this happen. I kept on thinking, did they do in on ground and put it up or then they lie face up and drew every single one... hemm... whatever it is, I surely don't want to be them, that's for sure.
Changling tomb's gate tower 
The Yongle Encyclopedia was a Chinese compilation commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403 and completed by 1408. It was the world's largest known general encyclopedia for 600 years, and one of the earliest.Move aside Wiki, hehehheh....
It was a big deal back then... ceh waah...
Yup! From Ming Dynasty.... I believe almost everyone will have one of these replicas at home.
This will be one of the famous tomb that I have been, if I can recall it clearly; one would be Taj Mahal, then The Pyramid Of Giza and Humayun Tomb. Have you been to any?
Hyperlink credit : Wikipedia, New World Encyclopedia
Amazing place!
ReplyDeleteWow, what an incredible place. How lovely that you were able to see such an amazing thing! I had never realised it was built according to feng shui but of course, it is obvious.
ReplyDeleteDear Girl, your appreciation of historic China really puts me to shame lar. I went there, rushed here rushed there around the place by the tour guide who speaks a foreign language of the Chinese kind which unfortunately i didn't understand one word. Manage to appreciate the beauty of the craftmanships but not the history behind it.
ReplyDeleteI am awe of this place, the interior scenes and artwork are incredible.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've got one of those Ming Dynasty jugs, I use it to water my indoor plants !!! :-)
Looks very interesting. I wanna go :)
ReplyDeleteHonestly very the malu-ing for Bananaz's OCBC *Orang Cina Bukan Cina*. Been to so many tombs in Shanghai and Beijing dunno who is what and where is when, just follow the group 'blindly'.
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