A 600-year old tomb (ming zuling 明祖陵) built for the parents and grandparents of Ming dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398, r. 1368-1398) is in danger of being inundated with floodwaters from nearby Hongze Lake.
Via Xinhua:
A 2,700-meter-long cofferdam built in the 1970s separates the tomb from the Hongze Lake, which covers an area of 2,069 square kilometers and is still suffering from heavy floods since June. “The water level of Hongze Lake is higher than the ground of the tomb. If the cofferdam was damaged, the tomb would be flooded,” said Wang Dong, an official in charge of the tomb protection.
“We are keeping round-the-clock inspection to monitor the water level and condition at the cofferdam,” he said.
“In a bid to fight against the new round of flood peak, which is expected to arrive in a couple of days, we have prepared abundant facilities and materials, including pumps, rocks and sandsacks, around the tomb,” the official added.
A drainage system has been installed, ensuring rainfall on the building roof to be collected in a pool and flow through a underground channel.
Meanwhile, a pump has been equipped to drain off the water from