Ancient Cypress at the Ding Tomb 定陵
It is but natural that the tomb complex of an emperor be made as beautiful as possible. The Ming designers were fond of gardens and were masters of making Chinese gardens. The Ding Tomb also has its share of gardens. In particular, the use of trees at the Ding Tomb also serve as reminders as to how important the resident is. The belief is that you put trees near someones tomb to give prominence to the deceased.
Further Back from the Tree
There are ancient cyrpess trees near the Ding Tomb. These elegant trees were planted here in deference to the emperor. Interestingly, the trees were dated to be much older than the time the tomb was built, indicating that the trees were merely transplanted here. It is said that the cypress trees here are planted in the north and south of the tomb. Their symmetry and age all give even more prominence to the emperor.
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