Sacred Way
Sacred Way of Ming Tombs
A Sacred Way stretches 7 kilometers from south to north through the center of the tombs area. It was originally built for the first tomb Changling - the tomb of Emperor Yongle, the most powerful emperor in the Ming dynasty. But as the later tombs were built either to the right or to the left, it became the main road to all of them. They formed one group, but each tomb is independent of the other. Each lies at the foot of a hill.