Stone Sacrificial Vessels at the Ding Tomb 定陵
Having a name like Ding Ling isn’t exactly very inspiring to western ears. The bus I took to the 13 Ming Tombs brought me to the Ding Tomb, which I guess is the most well known of the 13 tombs in the area. Somehow I left my research material on the bus so I was quite lost as to what I need to do. I didn’t remember reading about the Ding Tomb but if the tourists come here, then it must probably be important.
Intricate Carving at the Entrance of Ding Ling 定陵
The Ding tomb is the tomb of the Ming emperor Wanli 万历. And like most Ming emperors they were great builders so it was little surprise for them to build such place so far from the palace. The Ding Tomb is one of the first Ming tombs to be opened to the public and was unfortunately, a victim of sloppy work in the early years of its exacavation. A lot of artifacts were not handled well and were ruined. I will see more of that as I go one exploring the tomb grounds.
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