An emperor’s unfinished monument

Michael Yamashita Published July 28, 2016

The Yongle Emperor commissioned a giant memorial to honor his father, who founded the Ming dynasty. However, the stele, along with its base and cap, were too large to be moved, and workers left them in the Yangshan Quarry near Nanjing.

Michael Yamashita is an award-winning photographer who has been shooting for National Geographic magazine for more than 30 years. He specialized in Asia after spending seven years in the region following his graduation from Wesleyan University.

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