Atadistanceof50kmnorthwestofBeijingstandsanarc-shapedclusterofhillsfrontedbyasmallplain.Hereiswhere13emperorsoftheMingdynastywereburied，andtheareaisknownastheMingTombs.
Constructionofthetombsstartedin1409andendedwiththefalloftheMingDynastyin1644.Inover200yearstombswerebuiltoveranareaof40squarekilometres，whichissurroundedbywallstotalling40kilometres.EachtombislocatedatthefootofaseparatehillandislinkedwiththeothertombsbyaroadcalledtheSacredWay.ThestonearchwayatthesouthernendoftheSacredWay，builtin1540，is14metreshighand19metreswide，andisdecoratedwithdesignsofclouds，wavesanddivineanimals.
BeijingservedasthenationalcapitalduringtheYuan，MingandQingdynasties.UnlikeMingandQingrulerswhoallbuiltmassivetombsforthemselves，Yuanrulersleftnosimilarburialgrounds.Whythedifference?
Thishastodowithpeople‘sdifferentviewsondeath.BeijingnomadscamefromtheMongoliansteppe.MongolswhoestablishedtheYuanDynastyheldthebeliefthattheyhadcomefrom:earth.theyadoptedasimplefuneralmethod:thedeadwasplacedinsideahollowednanmutree，whichwasthenburiedundergrassland.Growthofgrasssoonleftnotracesofthetombs.
