Fodor's Expert Review Nine Dynastic Urns

Each of these urns within the Imperial Enclosure, weighing approximately 5,000 pounds and cast in 1835, is dedicated to a ruler of the Nguyen dynasty. The central urn, the most elaborately decorated of the nine, features Emperor Gia Long, the founder of this dynasty. Nature motifs cover the urns, including the sun and moon, rivers and mountains, and one or two bullet pocks. Every urn has a name transcribed in traditional Chinese characters.