0066 - Ming Dynasty Stone Statues Unearthed. 42 stone statues of the Ming D...Back

Ming Dynasty Stone Statues Unearthed. 42 stone statues of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), submerged by the flood waters of the Hongze Lake 300 years ago, have recently been excavated and restored to their original places at the Ming Emperor's Ancestral Tombs in Jiangsu Province. These stone carvings of imposing human figures and animals are products of workmanship. The Ming Ancestral Tombs were built from 1386 to 1413 by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, for his grandfather and great grandfather. The stone statues stood guard at the entrance to the tombs. A flood of the Hongze Lake in 1680 washed away all the buildings of the Ming tombs and the statues had been submerged until 1982.