Chinese and World History

Duke Lu Mausoleum, Xinxiang

leefoxx1949 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:13:31 +0000

Duke Lu (Zhu Yuliu), 1568-1614, was the only full brother of the Ming Emperor Wanli. His tomb near Xinxiang is the only Ming royal tomb in Henan Province. His Imperial Concubine Zhao’s tomb is next to his. Most Ming tombs are near Beijing, except for the tomb of Hongwu in Nanjing. Dingling, the tomb of Duke Lu’s brother, Emperor Wanli, is the only one open to the public in Beijing. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/DukeLuMausoleumXinxiang

Xinxiang Museum

leefoxx1949 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:11:07 +0000

Xinxiang City, which lies between Zhengzhou and Anyang, just opened this excellent, modern museum at the end of 2011. I believe I’m the first foreigner to visit it. Xinxiang is the site of the ancient battle of Muye, in which the Shang Dynasty was destroyed by the Zhou, so this area is rich in Shang artifacts. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/XinxiangMuseum

Leonid Brezhnev Photos & Awards & other Soviet Militaria

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:48:04 +0000

The first artifacts shown here were owned by Leonid Brezhnev and are currently in my possession. The photo album was presented to him by 18th Army veterans, for whom he served as political commissar during WWII. These are published here for the first time. The 63-piece ribbon bar includes his Order of Victory which he was awarded as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was rescinded after he died in 1982, as he had obviously done nothing to earn it. Copies of the ribbon bar have appeared on eBay, but this one is genuine. Following the photo album are other Soviet artifacts in my personal collection, along with my Mao badges from the Cultural Revolution. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/LeonidBrezhnevPhotosAwardsOtherSovietMilitaria

Xuzhou: Han Tomb of Liu Wu, King of Chu

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:10:37 +0000

Liu Wu was a member of the Han Dynasty royal family. He ruled over the state of Chu in the early Western Han, and built a tomb on Shizishan (Lion Hill) with a guardian army of 1/3-size terracotta warriors. I photographed the tomb, along with an underwater burial site of terracotta cavalry, and a larger pit of infantry. Compare this with the tomb of Han Emperor Jingdi, as well as the more famous life-size warriors of Qin Shihuang (both on this website). Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/XuzhouHanTombOfLiuWuKingOfChu

Xuzhou Museum

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:08:08 +0000

Xuzhou City Museum has many of the treasures from two Han tombs in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. I photographed the tomb and terracotta army of Liu Wu, King of Chu, and have posted this in a separate album. The museum contains the original jade burial suits from the tomb, as well as many other – mostly Han Dynasty – artifacts from Xuzhou. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/XuzhouMuseum

Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:40:44 +0000

The Hebei Provincial Museum was mostly closed for renovation in late 2011 and not scheduled to open until the end of 2012. They had but two temporary exhibits. The first was of some first class pieces from the ancient states of Yan and Zhao. The second was of relics collected in recent years at the site of the construction of the great canal which will bring water to Beijing from south of Henan. This huge construction project has uncovered thousands of ancient artifacts spanning thousands of years. Like the Provincial Museum, the City Museum was also closed in order to upgrade security. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/HebeiProvincialMuseumShijiazhuang#

Han Yang Ling Mausoleum of Han Emperor Jingdi, Xi’an

leefoxx1949 — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:21:19 +0000

This Western Han Imperial tomb is probably China’s best-kept archaeological secret. It only opened to the public a few years ago, and there is not yet public transportation to the site. The terracotta warriors are a third the size of the more famous ones of nearby Qin Shihuang’s tomb, but here visitors can walk over the pits and see the excavations in progress. More importantly, this tomb doesn’t have the pressing crowds of the more famous neighbor. Like the Qin Shihuang tomb, the Han Yang tomb itself has not yet been opened. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/HanYangLingMausoleumOfHanEmperorJingdiXiAn

Xi’an Beilin (Forest of Steles) Museum

leefoxx1949 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:05:04 +0000

This museum, just inside the South Gate of Xi’an’s Ming city wall, has thousands of steles and other works of stone, including the 4 horses of Li Shimen still in China, as well as the Nestorian Stone chronicling the introduction of Christianity into China in the Tang Dynasty. As usual, I ran dreadfully short of time and have not done an adequate job of labeling. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/XiAnBeilinForestOfStelesMuseum

National Museum, Beijing: Prehistoric (Stone Age) China

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 06:03:46 +0000

This is the 1st gallery in the Ancient China exhibit. It was not open when I went there in the spring, so I spent September 1 & 2 taking over 1800 photos in these eight galleries. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/NationalMuseumBeijingPrehistoricStoneAgeChina

National Museum, Beijing: Xia, Shang, & Western Zhou Dynasties

leefoxx1949 — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 06:02:28 +0000

This is the 2nd gallery in the Ancient China exhibit. It was not open when I went there in the spring, so I spent September 1 & 2 taking over 1800 photos in these eight galleries. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. https://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/NationalMuseumBeijingXiaShangWesternZhouDynasties