The Ming Tombs

The Sacred Way is flanked by 12 stone human figures, including military, civil and eunuch officials, and 24 stone animals, including lions, elephants, camels, horses, kirins, and xiezhis. The Chinese had horses at that time, but the other animals were not of China.

To give scale, Owen Tyler poses beside one of the stone elephants.

These are all carved from single blocks of giant stone. The carvings were done in 1435 or the 10^th year of the reign of Emperor Xuan De of the Ming Dynasty.