Imperial tombs
皇陵
The Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs are among the most extraordinary cultural remains to be found anywhere.
明清皇家陵寝是世界上最令人赞叹的文化遗产之一。
These world-famous sites are equal to the pyramids in Egypt.
这些举世闻名的历史遗址可以和埃及的金字塔相媲美。
Any visitor to China should try to include the Ming and Qing Tombs as part of his or her tour.
任何到中国来的游客都应该试着把明清皇陵作为自己旅行的一部分。
The Ming Imperial Tombs
明朝皇陵
Most of the Ming Tombs can be found 50 kilometres north-west of Beijing in a place called Shisanling, which means 'thirteen tombs' in Chinese.
大多数明朝皇陵位于北京西北50公里处一个叫十三陵的地方,在汉语里的意思是“十三座陵墓”。
Thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) are buried here, along with their wives and other members of the royal family.
明朝(公元1368年-1644年)十三位皇帝及其皇后和其他皇室成员被葬于此。
Of the thirteen tombs, only Changling, Dingling and Zhaoling are open to the public.
在这十三座陵墓中,只有长陵、定陵和昭陵对公众开放。
Along the Sacred Way, which leads to the tombs, you can see huge stone status of twenty-four animals and twelve officials.
沿着通往陵墓的神道,你可以看到24种动物和12位官员的巨大石像。
Some of the pine trees which line the Sacred Way were planted during the Ming Dynasty.
神道两旁还栽种着一些明朝时期种植的松树。
At the upper end of the Sacred Way is Changling, the largest of the Ming Tombs.
神道的上方尽头就是长陵,明朝皇陵中最大的一座。
Changling is considered by many as the best preserved of the thirteen tombs.
许多人认为长陵是这十三座陵墓中保存最完好的一座。
It is at the heart of Shisanling, with the other tombs placed on either side of it.
它是十三陵的中心,其它陵墓排列在它的两边。
It was built to resemble a palace, containing a complex of buildings and courtyards.
像长陵被建成宫殿样式,包括了许多建筑和庭院。
Adding to the extraordinary beauty of Changling is the Ling'en Palace, known for its simple design and painted ceiling.
灵恩殿增加了长陵的出众的美丽,它以其简洁的设计和天花板上的绘画而著名。
Many of the decorations are made from a fragrant type of wood native to China and the floor is covered with 'gold' bricks.
许多木质装饰物都由一种原产自中国的香木制成,地面由“金”砖铺成。
Apart from Shisanling, the most famous Ming Tomb is Xiaoling, in Nanjing.
除了十三陵,最有名的明朝皇陵就是孝陵,在南京。
It contains the tomb of the first Ming emperor.
它包括明朝第一位皇帝的陵墓。
Approximately 100,000 soldiers and civilians worked from 1381 to 1405 on this tomb, which covers several dozen acres of land.
从1381年到1405年,大约有10万名士兵和平民参与了这座占地几十英亩的皇家陵寝的修建。
The beautiful architecture of this tomb had a great influence on the design of emperors' tombs in the five centuries that followed.
这种美丽建筑风格极大地影响着随后五个世纪皇陵的设计。