We left the Cloisenne Factory behind and headed for the Imperial Necropolis commonly known as the Ming Tombs. It is located in a valley 30 miles NW of Beijing. The valley is just off the freeway that goes to Ba Da Ling. Many Chinese bus tours to Ba Da Ling also come here, visiting the spirit way and one of the tombs at but at a blinding speed, so if you want time to explore some of the unrestored tombs (highly recommended) you may have to make a special trip.
I can't recall for whom this particular monument was erected, we drove passed on our way, but it was a general from some past era (hope that's descriptive enough.LOL).
By and by we arrived at our destination.
The Sacred Way or Spirit Way (shen dao) should not be missed. The main entrance to the valley is the Da Hong Men (Great Red Gate), beyond which is a pavilion housing China's largest memorial stele, and beyond that the Sacred Way.
We were short on time and it was decided that we would not be able to visit any of the Tombs but would only have time to walk the Sacred Way.
At the entrance to most Imperial Necropolises, there is usually a Sacred Way (or Divine Road) which symbolizes the road leading to heaven. The Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, would in time return to Heaven via that very same road.
There are many 'Sacred Ways', the one at the Ming Tombs is the best preserved and most complete. The Sacred Way starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, this archway is the earliest and largest stone archway existing in China today. Continuing on, the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion can be seen. Inside it, there lies a 50-ton tortoise carrying a stone tablet. Next there are two Roof Pillars on each side of the road, whose surfaces are carved with the cloud design, the tops are shaped like a rounded cylinder. After the 18 pairs of stone statues which are all sculpted from whole stones, and larger than life size, comes the Dragon and Phoenix Gate.
The Sacred Way was originally built to lead to the Changling mausoleum. Afterwards, twelve more mausoleums were built. It is a ten-minute bus ride from the Sacred Way to Changling. (One of the Mausoleums is called the DingLing Tomb, or as I called it the 'Ding-a-Ling Tomb'. It is one of the restored tombs but according to most of the travel guides, the restored tombs are dank, overcrowded, and uninspiring. The Ming Tombs are so unpopular with foreign tourists that they are often excluded from tour-group itineraries. In contrast, The Ming Tombs are at their most charming along the Shen Dao and on the grounds of unrestored tombs where the admission is free). The Sacred Road is generally lined with stone statues which are important decorative components of the mausoleum. These statues are customarily:
12 human figures including the general, civil officials and meritorious officials.
24 animals, including the Lion, Camel, Elephant, Xiezhi, Qilin (one of the four "divine animals", the other three being the dragon, phoenix and tortoise) and the Horse. There are 4 of each of these animals: two standing and two squatting each has different meanings.
The Lion symbolizes awesome solemnity because of their ferocity.
The Camel and Elephant are meant to suggest the vastness of the territory controlled by the court, because they are dependable transport in desert and tropics.
Xiezhi was put there to keep evil spirits away, because it was believed to possess the sixth sense to tell right and wrong. If two men fight, a Xiezhi would gore the wicked one.
Xiezhi (獬豸 Xièzhì, hsieh-chih/해태, haetae, often spelled haitai) is a legendary creature which resembles a lion but is, in fact, a fire-eating dog. It is believed as a guardian against disaster and prejudice. Furthermore, they are said to guard against all forms of disruptive or violent change. It has the body of a lion, and occasionally is depicted with a unicorn-like horn.
Qilin, an auspicious symbol, was placed on two sides.
Qilin In Chinese mythology, the Qilin is a kind of unicorn whose rare appearance often coincides with the imminent birth or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Appearances could also indicate the benevolence of living emperors. A Qilin has a single horn on its forehead, a yellow belly, a multicoloured back, a horse's hooves, a deer's body, and an ox's tail. Legend has it that a Qilin appeared to the pregnant mother of Confucius.
I'm positive that surfing bareback is not a sanctioned activity along the Sacred Way (but I'm sure it's not the first time it's been done either).
It was a long walk.
Bob got tired of pushing Granny's chair so Raylene, ever the faithful spouse, gave him a break.
The Sacred Way is lined with stately Willow trees and immaculately trimmed shrubbery. The entire road which runs from the Stone Archway to the Changling Tomb stretches out about 7 km. The part of the path which we walked is slightly curved to fool malevolent spirits in accordance to the Feng Shui (fung' shway) philosophy.
By the time we had walked the length of the Scared Way the sun was setting and the moon was out.
It was getting dark by the time we arrived at the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion. The pavilion was constructed in 1435.
Stele Pavilion as it appeared in 1900.
We walked inside to see the 50-ton tortoise carrying the stone tablet on its back. There is a white marble Huabiao (ornamental pillar) positioned at each corner of the stele pavilion. At the top of each is perched a mythical beast facing either inward or outward, expressing hope that the emperor will neither cling to the palace nor forget to return to the Palace to handle state affairs.
The Turtle and the Stele.
Driving home the traffic was horrendous. Some of the group was hoping to get home in time to go to the Hard Rock, Beijing. It took us so long to get home (it was only bout 30 miles) anyway, it took so long that their plans were more or less foiled.
We arrived back at the hotel bleary eyed and tired we just had a bite to eat and went to bed.
Up Next:
Going to Church, a Pearl Factory and The Summer Palace.
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