View from the porch of the main temple at the Ming totnbs. These temples and tombs, among the 

 most interesting in China, with only a small amount of care coulfl be preserved for many >ears. Note 

 the thick vegetation growing among the broken tiles of the roof 



■"Hall of ('lassies. ■■ (_)ne passes throu^li 

 a littk' door in tlie wall and (niters a 

 i[uict courtyard full of trees, some of 

 wliicli were planted a thousand years 

 a,ii"o under tlir Sunj.;- dynasty and, al- 

 though twisted and wrinkled, are still 

 stately and dignified like ancient sages. 

 Xear a large wooden gate are ten 

 curious old stones ahout three feet high. 

 'I'hey are the holy dniins of the I'hou 

 dynasty and arc v^Too years old. Al- 

 though pi'icclcss relics of antiquity, 

 they remain outside. open to the ravages 

 of cold and heat, of frost and rain, in 

 the temple is the wooden soul-tahlet of 

 Confueins and in adjoiniii'i hnilding> 



are taljlels of many disciples and pupils 

 of the master. 



The Hall of Classics is a group of 

 temple-like huildings in a large garden 

 where the text of CMiinese classics is 

 kept engraved on stone tahlets. There 

 is a wonderful p'oi Ion. and in the cen- 

 ter of a heautiful lake surrounded hy a 

 marhle lialustrade stands a splendid 

 temple. Il is the "Hall of Meditation." 

 hut now is deserted and covered with 

 dust : dust is every wjiere. hlown in from 

 tlie (lol)i ilr>ert liv whirlwinds from the 

 north. The line doert sand is ])()W- 

 dered thickly over the >tatelv throne 

 .-ind panrlcil sei-eeii. and ha> didled the 



