Necropolitan voluptuousness

Harold Acton

Some lovers still keep trysts among tomb- stones and one hears of witches and warlocks congregating in cemeteries under the full moon, but few of us would choose to picnic among the dead. In the Orient it is otherwise. The author of this luxurious guide to the Imperial Ming tombs remarks casually: 'one could say that this book was born of Sunday picnics.' 1 have also pic- nicked there in happier days, when the grandeur of the buildings was scarcely af- fected by their state of decay. Silhouetted against the sky, the 24 stone figures of animals and 12 of men lining the Spirit Road were probably more impressive than today since trees have been planted behind them.

With the exception of certain Etruscan tombs and, for addicts of realistic 19th- century sculpture, the remarkable cemetery of Staglieno near Genoa, Europe has nothing to compare with the imperial tombs of China. The most cenically spectacular of those extant are the burial sites of 13 emperors of the Ming or 'Brilliant' dynasty (1368-1644) in a fertile valley about 24 miles northwest of Peking. These had been, neglected since the collapse of the Ch'ing dynasty in 1911, and it is exhilarating to learn that several have been restored and one methodically excavated in recent years. Surely even the Marxist indoctrinated generation will take pride in the visible achievements of their ancestors. Whatever the pundits may say, the Ming period pro- duced wonderful buildings, of which the huge sacrificial hall in Yung-lo's grave precincts is an outstanding example. But it is so magnificent that most of its neighbours have been overlooked.

Mrs Paludan, who lived in Peking from 1972 to 1976 while her husband was Danish Ambassador to China, has remedied this deficiency with discriminating taste and scholarship. The Great Wall was always crowded with tourists — 'not a place where you can rest or relax' — so she concentrated wisely on the valley of 13 tombs which foreigners were also allowed to visit. Here she could wander at her own sweet will and reconnoitre the remoter burial grounds in comparative privacy, noting their idiosyn- crasies, recording and photographing them for our enjoyment. Those who follow in her footsteps may make their choice from her detailed descriptions. ' Fortified by the writings of De Groot and Bouillard and previous scholars, she could appreciate the significance of what her eyes beheld and elucidate the symbolism where nearly everything is symbolic.

Tomb after tomb is lovingly described; history and legend are agreeably interwoven with her account of each complex of buildings. Each tomb, as she relates, 'con- sists of two parts: first, a series of court- yards with palace-style buildings where the spirit will feel at home and appropriate rites will be performed; second, the funeral vault buried under an artificial hill and surround- ed by a fortified wall.' Formerly, a garrison of soldiers was attached to each grave. A useful map and 19 charts or diagrams by Lucy Peck make this guide indispensable for future visitors.

Apart from the first tomb, the grandiose monument of Yung-lo who rebuilt Peking and made it his capital, and the tenth tomb, that of the voluptuary Wan-li which was ex- cavated in 1956, fewer visitors have been at- tracted to the remaining 11, so that Mrs Paludan's description of these is particular- ly valuable. But descriptions, however vivid, do not suffice, and her excellent photographs'in colour and black and white help us to visualise the varied beauties of this necropolitan pleasaunce.

The single excavated tomb, we are told,

Spectator 16 January 1982 `has become a popular and very interesting museum.' All its treasures, in a perfect state of preservation, are on display: porcelain, lacquer, jade pendants, belts and seals, costumes and head-dresses, the empress's adorned with gold phoenixes and inlaid with precious stones — some are reproduc- ed in these pages. The equivalent of half a million pounds sterling was lavished on its construction, which began when the Wan-11 emperor was 16 and was completed six years later.

Originally, concubines, slaves and

animals were buried alive with the emperor for posthumous service but this cruel prac- tice was gradually discontinued. According to Mrs Paludan, concubines were sacrificed until 1464.

Personally, I should be sorry if all these

tombs were converted into spick and span museums, but I suppose this is inevitable. While there are differences in architectural detail, the contents of each tomb are pro- bably similar: domestic objects to satisfy the presumed requirements of the dead. The museums of Europe and America possess plenty of Ming artefacts and the local antique shops were full of them in the

1930's. Compared to the treasures Of

Tutankhamen they are quite modern. Ex- quisite craftsmanship supplanted pristine vigour and spontaneity. Their emasculated refinement seems to have reflected the decline of the dynasty whose central power was undermined by the palace eunuchs. A college in the Forbidden City had been founded for this elite in 1426; since when their influence at Court rivalled that of the highest officials. Consciously or not, they took revenge on the public for the loss c" the private parts.

The corruption of the eunuch Wei Chung-hsien, 'a gangster of the first order

precipitated the dynasty's decline. The last act was littered with corpses like an Elizabethan tragedy. Before hanging himself on Coal Hill behind the Forbidden City the last emperor ordered all his womenfolk to commit suicide, and those who tried to escape he hacked down with a, sword. The first emperor of the triumfihsil.' Manchu dynasty paid proper respect to his remains and buried him with his ancestors, but his tomb is a pathetic contrast with that of his dynasty's founder in Nanking, which is also described by Mrs Paludan. She tells us as much as we need know even about tbe, drainage system which kept the burls; vaults dry through the centuries, and enthusiasm is infectious. For instance, she writes: 'of all the tombs, the approach to this one [the ninth] is the most beautiful ' and the colourplate corroborates her state" a ment. Here 'one of the children and d friend, on New Year's Day, disappeared down a drain in the funeral mound an reappeared, to the surprise of the militia' outside the precinct walls of the tomb. This is the liveliest book about tort1,11 I have yet seen, as well as the prettiest, asiak recommend it to readers young and s''ss Mrs Paludan and the Yale University Fil"' th, deserve our gratitude for an exceptions fine production.