BEIJING, Jan. 7 -- Imagine 18 colorful dragons, 540 cranes and over one-thousand golden characters on the robe of a Chinese emperor, that would be an eyeful. Recently archeologists from the Embroidery Academy of Nanjing presented a replica of a robe worn by Emperor Wan Li to the Museum of Ding Mausoleum. Experts say the ancient costume would have been used as leisure wear for the emperor.

    The crimson replica of the emperor's robe gives off a touch of grandeur. The whole costume is 134 centimeters in length, characterized by a myriad of cranes and over one thousand golden Chinese characters of "Shou" - symbolizing longevity.

    Experts say the original robe was unearthed in the Ding Mausoleum among a treasure chest of nearly 500 ancient relics. It is believed that the robe was tailored for times when the emperor would go hunting.

    The robe was unearthed in 1958, and at that time part of the attire was still intact. But over the past five decades, the robe has experienced weathering and has mostly decomposed. The remake took archeologists nearly three years to finish.

    The Museum of Ding Mausoleum was built in honor of the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun. He was known as Emperor Wan Li after the self-proclaimed name of his ruling period. The Ding Mausoleum is the first and only imperial tomb approved for excavation by the Chinese government. A large-scale underground storeroom will be established in the Ding Mausoleum to further protect the ancient relics.

    (Source: CCTV.com)