The Ming Tombs, also known as The 13 Tombs where is the resting place of 13 of the 16 Ming emperors as well as 23 empresses (1368-1644), after its capital was moved away from Nanjing to Beijing, the tombs are scattered all over the foothill of Tianshou Mountain(Longevity of Heaven) in Changping District, 50Km northwest of Beijing. Covering a hill area of 120Km2 and over 500 years old.

Five-arched white marble memorial archway is the first sight that comes to your eyes as you visit the tombs, and one kilometer to the northeast of it is the Great Red Gate, the outermost gate of the entire mortuary complex which is the beginning of the 7-kilometer-long Sacred Way, leads to the entrance of the Changling, there are 18 pairs of stone human figures and animals include civil, military and meritorious officials, lion, griffin, camel, elephant, unicorn and horse line with this way. There is a tall square stela pavilion with four tall white stone ornamental columns set at each of its four corners, standing boldly in the center of the Sacred Way, there is a river via two bridges of five and seven arches respectively cross over it.

Changling was build for the third Ming Emperor Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, who was the first Ming Emperor to be buried here in his mausoleum, and his father the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was buried in Nanjing. Changling is the largest and best preserved among the rest 12 tombs. Built on a south-facing slope, the Changling' s three courtyards are entirely surrounded by walls. The first courtyard extends from the massive three-arched entrance gate to the Gate of Eminent Favor, and the dimensions of the Hall of Eminent Favor is one of the largest wooden buildings in China. Four giant wooden columns and 28 smaller pillars support this structure.

There is an immolation which known as the "Nine Stone Feast Implements." inside the third and final courtyard and a staircase leads up through the 15-meter-high rampart tot eh tower, To the east and west of the great mausoleum are the tombs of imperial concubines. Sixteen concubines were"rewarded"with death and buried alive here to serve their emperor in the afterworld.

At the southwest of the Changling is Dingling tomb which occupies a total area of 1,195 square meters that is also known as the Underground Palace, was the first imperial tomb to have been excavated in China. Emperor Wan Li(reigned 1537-1619) and two of his wives were buried there in 1620 in a deep marble vault four stories underground, which remains cool even on the hottest of summer days.

A 40-meter-long tunnel leads to the first massive door, which is 7.3 meters below the ground. The underground palace consists of five rooms with giant marble archways and a floor paved with huge polished stone known as "gold bricks."

Down to the level of the burial chambers, is an unfurnished front hall which connects to the central hall, where three marble imperial thrones. The "eternal lamps"(oil lamps with a floating wick) and a set of the "five offerings" are lying here too -- an incense burner, two candlesticks and two vases, all of yellow glazed pottery. Adjacent to the middle hall are two side chambers also.

The rear hall is the largest (9.5 meters high, 30.1 meters long and 9.1 meters wide) and most important hall in the underground palace. In the center of the hall are the three platforms used to support the coffins of Emperor Wanli and his empresses. Twenty-six red lacquer chests, containing crowns, pitchers and wine vessels of gold, pitchers, cups, bowls and earring of jade, and porcelain vases and bowls were placed around these coffins. In addition, sacred objects of jade and blue-and-white porcelain vases were placed alongside the chests.

In July 2003, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added the Ming Tombs in Beijing on the World Heritage List along with the Qing Dynasty tombs.

The Ming Tombs are located in Changping County, about fifty km northwest of Beijing. The tombs, covering a hilly area of 40 acres, was selected in 1409. Dragon Hill lies to the east and Crouching Tiger Hill to the west All in, 13 of 16 Ming Emperors were buried in this royal necropolis, including Empresses and many concubines, some buried alive to accompany the Emperor to his "life after death." Only three tombs are opened to the public - Changling of the Yongle Emperor, Dingling of the Wanli Emperor and Zhaoling of the Longqing Emperor. Dingling, Tomb of Certainty, is the resting place of the 13th Ming ruler, the useless Wanli Emperor, Zhu Yijun, whose claim to fame was his long life. He ascended the throne at the age of ten years and ruled for 48 years. When the Dingling was completed in 1581 after 6 years of construction & 38 years before his death, he held a grand feast to celebrate his future interment. The discovery of the entrance to the 27 meter deep underground chamber of Dingling tomb is interesting. A small tablet was unearthed in the vicinity and the Chinese characters indicated a site and a depth. Archaeologists on following the instructions discovered a doorway to Dingling and started evacuation in 1956. Within two years the excavation was completed and the tomb was found to have jewellery and artifacts including jade belts, golden chopsticks and a crown worn by the Wanli Emperor himself. The underground chamber is made up of five marbled hall -- a central hall surrounded by four other halls. Don't forget to visit the small museum at the Dingling Tomb where you can see the jewellery, artifacts and some photos.

the heavenly road
The 1st, 2nd, and 7th emperors are buried in different locations.This site was chosen for its location and its auspicious feng shui alignment. The tombs are protected on 3 sides due to mountain range that lies to the North. detering any evil spirits thought to be brought along the north wind. Chang Ling is the first tomb to be built. It took 2 years for renovation, and was opened in 1958. The emperor, his wife, and concubines are still thought to be buried behind the Spirit Tower under a huge earthen mound.

The Ming Tombs are scattered all over a valley to the West of Beijing. My understanding is that there are 13 in all - one for each of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Only 3 are open to the public so far. I was told that this is because the others are still being studied. The Tomb we visited is the largest of the 13,

The Sacred Way inside the gate of the Ming Tomb is lined with 18 pairs of stone human figures and animals. These include four each of three types of officials: civil, military and meritorious officials, symbolizing those who assisted the emperor in the administration of the state, plus four each of six types of animals: lion, griffin, camel, elephant, unicorn and horse. These represent different animals found in the various parts of the Ming Empire.