Sacred WayⅡ

The Great Red Gate with three archways is the main gate of the whole imperial cemetery. A stele stands on each side of the gate with an inscription reading 'Officials must dismount from horses', which demonstrates the supremacy of the imperial power.

Further on, visitors will find a stele pavilion. At the four corners of the pavilion, there are four tall marble columns towering about ten meters (32.8 feet). Each column is engraved with forty-one dragons and has a mythical beast sitting on the top. As the story goes, the beasts facing south remind the emperor to leave the palace to observe the people's situation; while the beasts facing north summon the emperor from an insignificant outing to return to handle state affairs. Inside the pavilion, a gigantic stone beast called Bixi (one of legendary dragon's nine sons) carries on its back a stele. The stele is named the 'Merits and Virtue Stele' and has long epigraphs inscribed on it.