I booked a couple of tours, one of which began the next morning. The first stop was the Sacred Way (or Divine Road) which means the road leading to heaven. (It's also thought of as the end of the dragon's tail.)
These roads are usually in the front part of the imperial necropolises. The idea was that the Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, who came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, also deservedly would return to Heaven through this road.The particular one that I visited is one from
the Ming Dynasty. Among the many Sacred Ways, this one is the best preserved and complete. It is approximately one kilomtre long.The Sacred Way starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. This is called the Great Red Gate. Two tablets used to be placed on both sides of the gate which said: "Dignitaries, officials and other persons arriving here must dismount from their horses."
Constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, this archway is the earliest and biggest stone archway existing in China today.
Farther in, the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion can be seen. Inside it, there lies a 50-ton tortoise carrying a stone tablet. Rubbing it is supposed to bring good luck. My tour troup all rubbed it like crazy!
A white marble Huabiao (ornamental pillar) is positioned at each corner of the stele pavilion. At the top of each is stationed a mythical beast facing either inward or outward, expressing hope that the emperor will neither cling to the palace nor forget to return to the Palace to handle state affairs. Then come two Roof Pillars on each side of the road, whose surfaces are carved with the cloud design, and tops are shaped like a rounded cylinder.
After that the road is lined with pairs of statues, which are all sculpted from whole stones, and are important decorations of the mausoleum.
These statues are usually 12 human figures (including the general, civil officials and meritorious officials) and 24 animals which are lion, camel, elephant, xiezhi (a mythological unicorn), qilin (one of the four "divine animals, the other three are dragon, phoenix and tortoise), and horse.
There are 4 of each of these animals: two standing and two squatting with different meanings. Lion symbolizes awesome solemnity because of their ferocity. Camel and elephant are meant to suggest the vastness of the territory controlled by the court, because they are dependable transport in desert and
tropics.
Xiezhi was put there to keep evil spirits away, because it was believed to possess the sixth sense to tell right and wrong. If two men fight, a xiezhi would gore the wicked one. Qilin, an auspicious symbol, was placed on two sides. Horse, as the emperor's mount, is absolutely indispensable. It is said that these animals is supposed to change guard at midnight. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/sacred-way.htm
The avenue of stone animals and statues ends at Ling Xing Gate, better known as the Dragon and Phoenix Gate. It is 14 metres high and 28.86 metres wide, built of white marble with five arches. Six rectangular pillars support it with beautiful bas-relief carvings (lions, dragons, lotus flowers).
http://www.mybeijingchina.com/ming-tombs/the_sacred_way.htm
The Sacred Way goes on beyond the Dragon and Phoenix Gate towards the chief tomb-Changling, Emperor Yongle's tomb.
