This is the Ding Ling, Soul Tower of Emperor Wanli, one of the Ming Emperors, at the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs were part of the grand scheme of Emperor Yongle, who also oversaw the building of the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, 13 emperors are buried here, arranged carefully around the box canyon that makes up the Forbidden Valley. On our tour, we went backwards through the tombs, meaning we went to the burial chambers first, then through the Avenue of Stone Creatures to the Great Red Gate, then out the Spirit Way to get back to Beijing. Each Soul Tower sits atop the burial chamber of the emperor contained within, but the archeologists have not yet figured how to enter the tombs below without triggering the self-acting stonework that would destroy the treasures underneath.