Visit to Ancient Tomb of the Khans in Hebei

Very often a site visit reveals awesome facts and puts legends and myths to rest (for the time being.)

There were early Christians in China and the Nestorian missionaries left behind a great legacy in North west China, with many Mongols converting to the faith.

May 2018 I saw the steppes for the first time in my life and experienced the strong winds on my face. I could imagine the Mongols riding their horses far in the distance.

It was hard for me to follow some of the scripts and as the only English speaking person in the group I was totally lost. Hence this recount is very minimal.

Group members enjoyed taking photos. We spent a few hours here as no one was around to give a guided tour.

I learned that zhuanglou Yuan Tomb is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Located in Nangou Village, Guyuan County, Hebei Province, it is a tomb of Mongolian nobles in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD). The owner of the tomb is Kublai Khan or could be his nephew.

It is the legendary dressing house of the Queen Meng Xiao.

There were a few graves marked in Mongol scripts. Perhaps some of the scripts referred to their Christian faith.

Here a visitor can learn about the ancient tomb of the Mongolian aristocrat with architectural features. A tour guide if around could give a briefing on the tomb culture of Mongolia.

I also learned that during that time,  the Mongol tribe of Onguds 

were converted to Christianity as early as the 9th c by Church of the East (Nestorian) priests who fled Central China due to the Tang emperor's persecution. Yet they rose to prominence in the 13th c by allying with Genghis Khan.

I wish I could learn more.