Digging out Dingling

A broken wall on the grounds of Dingling Mausoleum tipped off a team of leading Chinese historians and archaeologists to the whereabouts of the underground burial chamber of Emperor Wanli (1563-1620) in 1956. By the end of the following year, after receiving permission from then-premier Zhou Enlai, the group would complete its excavation of the site, which is one of the 13 tombs that comprise the Ming Mausoleums, a part of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1957, The stone gate A hole in the Treasure City wall Pillar foundations Reproductions of the coffins Rotting wooden boards A wall The Worldly Tower the excavation team discovered the coffins of Emperor Wanli and his two empresses, which contained bones, fabrics and accessories. leading into the tomb was blocked by a slab of stone from the inside. Excavators used a wire to move the slab...

Emperor Wanli