This is a bronze statue located in the Ming tombs. There are over a dozen Ming dynasty tombs, not all of which have been opened by anthropologists. The Chinese government is intentionally blocking that until the technology

Here is the statue again. The tomb we saw is the largest of those that have been opened so far. Its location was lost for over a century, then it was discovered by accident while archaeologists were looking for something else

Take a look at the impressive construction of this building. This is the outer area of the tomb, a sort of ceremonial space. The bronze statue shown in previous photos is located in this room as well. Each of the

This is the Sword of State for one of the Ming Emperors (not necessarily the one buried in this particular tomb, since the museum section is consolidated). I apologize for the quality of the Ming museum photos. The

Imperial armor. According to the tour guide, the armor is actually too large in size for the Emperor to have used it effectively, based on measurements of the remains. The oversizing was intentional -- since the armor was only for

These arrows, unlike the armor, were fully functional. I do not know if that means they were actually used, but the tour guide seemed to imply that they were used for recreational game hunting.

This is a ceremonial gateway to the tomb. As far as I know, it has always stood alone like this rather than being part of a lost wall.

Here we are approaching the main tomb. The ceremonial temple with the statue and museum section were behind me as I took this shot.

Here's a closer view of the near side of the tomb. Oddly enough, you really never get into the inner chambers, but it was still impressive to see it from the outside.

This is the magnificent view from the top of the crenellated parapet of the tomb.