Chinese and World History

The first photos are of the Sacred Way leading to the Valley of the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming emperors. The remaining photos are of Dingling, the tomb of Emperor Wanli, the only one which has been excavated and opened to the public. The Thirteen Tombs, about 45 km NW of Beijing, contains tombs of most Ming emperors. They are the earliest tombs with still-standing top structures, and have not been completely looted. Dingling, the tomb of Wanli (1573-1620), a long-reigning but disastrous emperor, was scientifically excavated in the 1950s and is open to the public. Artifacts are from the museum at the Ding tomb. All photos were taken on National Day, October 1, 2008, except the final ones which were taken in 1991. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/MingTombs#