13 of the 16 emperors of China’s Ming dynasty (1368-1644), as well as 23 empresses and at least a dozen concubines, are buried in the Ming Tombs located in a canyon at the foot of Tianshou Shan (mountain) 50 kilometers north of Beijing. Belief was, that although physically dead, a person's soul lived on, having human needs. Hence, the emperors’ tombs were furnished lavishly like their imperial palaces. The Ming Tombs are China’s most extensive burial complex. The site was chosen by the Emperor Yongle (1360-1424), who would later rise to become the Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He also oversaw the construction of the Forbidden City. A mountain range was chosen to protect the tombs from grave robbers. They were constructed with memorial halls at the front and burial chambers to the rear. The Great Red Gate (Dahongmen), the outermost gate of the entire mortuary complex, is the beginning of the 7-kilometer-long Sacred Way (Divine Road) leading to the imperial tombs. Only three tombs are open to the public. They are the Ding Ling, Chang Ling and Zhao Ling, which have been restored. Only one tomb, the Ding Ling Tomb, that of Emperor Wanli (reigned 1537-1619), was excavated in 1956. It was completed in 1957, and a museum was established in 1959. Unfortunately, the Ding Ling Tomb suffered an unfortunate fate. In 1969, during the Cultural Revolution, fervent Red Guards stormed the Ding Ling museum and dragged the remains of Emperor Wanli and his empresses to the front of the tomb, where they were "denounced" and burned. Many other artifacts were also destroyed. The lessons learned from the Ding Ling debacle have led to a new policy by the Chinese government not to excavate any historical sites except for rescue purposes. Due to their historical significance, the Ming Tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003.