Ming Tombs

Ming Tombs are located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing in Changping District. Since Changling Tomb was built here in 1409 by Emperor Zhu Di, the succeeding twelve emperors all built the tombs here in the 230 years. Totally, there are mausoleums of 13 emperors, 23 queens, 2 crown princes, more than 30 concubines and one eunuch.

Covering an area of over 120 square kilometers (46.3 square miles), it is the largest and best preserved existing imperial mausoleums complex in China even the world. In 2003, Ming Tombs are designated as one World Cultural Heritage.

History and Culture

During the 276 years rule of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), there were 16 emperors. But why are Ming Tombs called Thirteen Tombs of Ming Dynasty? We have to go back to the history of Ming Dynasty. The first emperor of Ming Dynasty established the capital in Nanjing and had his tomb there. The third emperor took the crown from the second one and moved the capital to Beijing. The seventh emperor’s crown was also taken away by his brother. Thus, all emperors but the three were buried here.

The Fengshui masters in Ming Dynasty thought this place was a good place as the mountains in the south were flying dragons. They thought it’s an ideal place for imperial cemetery as the surrounding mountains, rivers and vegetation can combine harmoniously with the tomb architecture. Their view embodied the philosophy that man is an integral part of nature. Emperor Zhu Di accepted their suggestion and built his Changling Tomb at here. Since then, all the following emperors had their tombs built around Changling Tomb. The layout of each tomb is square at front and round at back, indicating the sky is round while the earth is square.

Travel Guide

At present, only three tombs are open to public. The traditional approach to visit the Ming Tombs is Sacred Way, Changling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and Dingling Tomb respectively.

Sacred Way

The Sacred Way is the entrance to Ming Tombs. From south to north, it consists of Stone Tablet Archway, Great Red Gate, Tablet Pavilion, Ornamental Columns, Stone Figures, and Longfeng Gate respectively.

The Stone Tablet Archway is the first building in the scenic area. Built with white marble stones and decorated with delicate carvings, it is the earliest and biggest stone archway existing in China today. Passing the archway, there are two mounds like dragon and tiger on both sides, guarding the tombs. Great Red Gate is the front gate of Ming Tombs and all visitors to the tombs will pass this gate. Tablet Pavilion is in the middle way of Sacred Way. It contains a 50-ton tortoise carrying a stone tablet with four white marble Huabiao on each corner of the pavilion. Along the way, there are 18 pairs of stone statues of guardian animals and officials. Long feng Gate is at the north of these stone statues.

Changling Tomb

Changling Tomb is at the north end of Sacred Way. Built in 1409, it is the tomb for the third Emperor Zhu Di with his Queen. This tomb is the earliest, largest in scale and best preserved one in Ming Tombs. Its layout is square in the front and round in the back. The three courtyards in the forecourt mirror Ming palaces found in the city.

Main buildings along the central axis are the Front Gate, Lingen Gate, Lingen Palace, the Dragon and Phoenix Gate, Soul Tower and the wall-encircled Earth Mound. Among them, Lingen Palace is highly recommended. Located in the second courtyard, it is made of camphor wood and built on a three-story-high pedestal of white marble. The palace is the most precious relic of the wooden architecture of ancient China, housing many unearthed objects and the bronze statue of Emperor Zhu Di.

Dingling Tomb

Southwest of Changling Tomb is the Dingling Tomb which buried with the thirteenth Emperor Zhu Yijun and his two Queens. It is the only excavated one among the 13 tombs. The construction of the tomb was started in 158 when the emperor was alive and took six years to finish. The Underground Place, which houses a great deal of precious unearthed relics, is open to public.

As the only unearthed palace of the thirteen imperial Ming Tombs, the Underground Palace is the most valuable part of Dingling Tomb. In the center halls of the palace, there are three white marble thrones set with incense, candles and flowers. More than 3,000 pieces of cultural relics are exhibited in the palace, including the precious gold imperial crown, gold empress crown, glowing pearl and tri-colored glazed pottery of Ming Dynasty.

Zhaoling Tomb

Lying to the southwest of Dingling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb is buried with the 12th Emperor Zhu Zaihou and his three Queens. The tomb is featured with a special enclosed yard in a crescent shape housing the coffins of the emperor. The drainage system is very efficient to keep the tomb area from flood.

Zhaoling Tomb consists of four bridges, a stele pavilion and halls. At Lingen Palace, visitors can get the information about the emperor and his queens. The pavilion contains a blank stele on a stone turtle. It is said this emperor is not very outstanding in politics and it is hard to comment on his achievements. That’s why the stele is blank.

Travel Tips

Admission Fee:
Changling Tomb: CNY 50 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 35 (Nov.1 to the next Mar. 31)
Dingling Tomb: CNY 65 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 45 (Nov.1 to the next Mar. 31)
Zhaoling Tomb: CNY 35 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 25 (Nov.1 to the next Mar. 31)
Sacred Way: CNY 35 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 25 (Nov.1 to the next Mar. 31)

Opening Hours:
Changling Tomb: 8:30-17:30
Dingling Tomb: 8:30-18:00
Zhaoling Tomb: 8:30-17:30
Sacred Way: 8:30-18:00

Transportation:
Buses: Take Buses No 345 or 881 at Desheng Gate West Station and transfer to 314 at Changping Dongguan Crossing Station, you can get to Sacred Way, Dingling Tomb and Changling Tomb: Take Bus No 345 and transfer to No. 22 at Li Shui Qiao Station, you can get to Zhaoling Tomb.
Subway: Take subway line 5 to Tiantongyuan Bei Station and transfer to No. 22, you can get to Zhaoling Tomb and Sacred Way.