Beijing will to focus its cultural relics protection efforts on
the last four unrepaired Ming Tombs, the general name given to the
mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), during
2006 to 2010.
The four tombs are Tailing Tomb, Maoling Tomb, Yuling Tomb and
Yongling Tomb, according to Du Gaochao, director of the Ming Tombs
Area Administration.
The municipality will also invest 35 million yuan (about US$4.37
million) to build an underground storage for keeping the 4,000
pieces of cultural relics unearthed from the tombs.
"The current storage will be replaced by the new one that is
equipped with high-tech facilities for better protection of the
cultural relics," Du said.
The Ming Tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou
Mountain (Longevity of Heaven) in Changping District. They are
known as the 13 Ming tombs in Chinese (Shisanling) as 13 out of the
16 Ming emperors as well as 23 empresses, one high-ranking
concubine and a dozen immolated imperial concubines, were buried in
this peaceful valley.
The Ming tombs were put under protection of the Beijing
municipal government in 1957. In July 2003, the UNESCO World
Heritage Committee at its 27th session officially inscribed the
Ming Tombs on the World Heritage List.
The central government of China and the Beijing Municipal
Government have always attached great importance to the protection
of the Shisanling Ming Tombs.
The repair of the last four tombs will better showcase Beijing's
long history and culture to overseas tourists during the 2008
Olympic Games, Du said.
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(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2006)
