Mammoth Statues Lining the Approach to the Ming Tombs, Beijing, China

The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. This picture shows the mammoth statues that line the approach to the Ming Tombs, as it looked in 1860.

A four mile road named the “Spirit Way” leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of three red arches, called the “Great Red Gate”.

The Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming dynasty, this archway is one of the biggest stone archways in China today.