synonymMing Dynasty Tombs(National 5A tourist attractions in Beijing) generally refer to the Ming Tombs
The Ming Tombs, located inBeijingThe foot of Tianshou Mountain in the north of Changping District is the location of the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. After Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty established his capital in Beijing, he began to select the tomb site in Beijing for political and strategic reasons.This measure with great strategic intention played a vital role in consolidating the political power and thoroughly eliminating the remaining forces of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.The construction of the Ming Tombs began in the seventh year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1409) and lasted for more than 230 years until the early years of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty.13 resplendent imperial tombs have been built, and Chengzu has been built successivelyChangling, RenzongSacrifice Mausoleum, XuanzongJingling Tomb, YingzongYuling, XianzongMaoling, XiaozongTailing, WuzongKangling, ShizongYongling, Mu ZongZhaoling, ShenzongDingling Tomb, GuangzongQingling, XizongDeling, YizongSiling。There are 13 emperors, 23 empresses, 1 imperial concubine and dozens of royal concubines buried in the cemetery.In addition to the emperor's mausoleum, there are seven Ming Dynasty imperial concubines' garden tombs, a eunuch's tomb, and several ancillary buildings such as the Shengong Supervisor and the Ancestral Memorial Hall, forming a complete, large-scale and magnificent mausoleum complex, which has become the world's most well preserved and buried emperor tombs.[8]
The area of the Ming Tombs is about 40 square kilometers.The mausoleum area is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has a vast area. The tombs of these emperors are scattered on the slopes of the basin. The mausoleum buildings are surrounded by Changling and are hidden in the green trees and forests.The mausoleum area is surrounded by a wall along the mountain, with a total length of 12 kilometers. It is an important protection facility in the mausoleum area.[5][7-8]
In 1957, the Ming Tombs were listed as the first batch of key historical and cultural relics protection units in Beijing.In 1961, the Ming Tombs wereState Council of the PRCColumn isThe first batch of national key cultural relics protection units。[14]On July 3, 2003, the Ming Tombs, as an expansion project of the royal tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was reviewed and approved by the 27th World Heritage Conference of the United Nations, and was listed in the《World Heritage List》。[6]
Chinese name
Ming Tombs
Foreign name
Ming Tombs
geographical position
Shisanling Town, Changping District, Beijing
Times
the Ming dynasty
area covered
40 km²
Protection level
The first batch of national key cultural relics protection units
The construction of the Ming Tombs began in the seventh year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1409) and lasted for more than 230 years until the early years of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty.13 resplendent imperial tombs have been built, and Chengzu has been built successivelyChangling, RenzongSacrifice Mausoleum, XuanzongJingling Tomb, YingzongYuling, XianzongMaoling, XiaozongTailing, WuzongKangling, ShizongYongling, Mu ZongZhaoling, ShenzongDingling Tomb, GuangzongQingling, XizongDeling, YizongSiling。[8]
Among the 13 tombs, the Changling Tomb of Emperor Yongle, the Yongling Tomb of Emperor Jiajing and the Dingling Tomb of Emperor Wanli were all built before their death, with the largest scale. The rest of the tombs were built after their death, taking about half a year to build.Emperor Chongzhen did not officially build a mausoleum because he was the king of subjugation. The current mausoleum was rebuilt from the tomb of his concubine Tian.
The Qing regime counted the tombs of Ming emperors and gave them some protection. From Shunzhi to Qianlong, they were also repaired to varying degrees.In the late Qing Dynasty, with the decline of the regime, the repair and protection of the mausoleum area gradually relaxed, but the main tombs were well preserved.
In 1955, Wu Hanjing, then Vice Mayor of Beijing and a historian of the Ming Dynasty, negotiated with Guo Moruo, then President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and then reported to the State Council for excavation of Changling among the Ming Tombs. Zhou Enlai, then Premier of the State Council, approved the excavation.In the same year, the "Changling Excavation Committee" composed of Wu Han, Guo Moruo, Shen Yanbing (Mao Dun), Deng Tuo, Fan Wenlan, Zhang Su, Xia Nai, Zheng Zhenduo and Wang Kunlun was established.In September, the Ming Tombs area was changed from Changping County to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape Architecture.
In 1956, it was decided to "test dig" Dingling.In 1957, the Dingling Underground Palace was opened.In 1959, the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ministry of Culture approved the establishment of the Dingling Museum.However, due to backward technology and understanding, many cultural relics, including the coffins of emperors and empresses, were destroyed after being unearthed.
In 1966, after the start of the Cultural Revolution, the movement of "breaking the four old" emerged, and the Ming Tombs soon became an affected area.A large number of cultural relics unearthed from the Dingling Tomb were destroyed by the Red Guards who came from the urban area of Beijing in a series.On August 24, the remains of Emperor Wanli, Empress Xiaojing and Empress Xiaoduan were publicly burned in the square in front of the Dahongmen in Dingling by the "rebel" gang of Dingling Museum.
In 1967, after the ebb of the activity, the cultural relics department counted and found that the ancient buildings and affiliated cultural relics of the Ming Tombs had been changed and damaged. Most of the bricks and stones in the treasure cities and ming lounges of the tombs were removed because the management and use units automatically destroyed or moved in the process of breaking the "four old".
At the end of 1972, the Dingling Museum and the Ming Tombs Management Office were merged and placed under the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape Architecture.
In June 1981, the Beijing Ming Tombs Special Zone Office was established as the agency of the then Changping County People's Government to take over the functions of the Ming Tombs Management Office.
In November 1982, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced that the Badaling Ming Tombs Scenic Area was one of the 44 key scenic spots in China.
By 2021, Changling Tomb, Dingling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb, Shenlu Tomb and Kangling Tomb have been opened to the public, while other tombs have not been opened to the public.[8][15]
On June 13, 2024, at the press conference of the 2024 Ming Culture Forum, the tombs of the Ming Tombs, which have not yet been opened to the outside world, will be opened to the outside world in succession, and it is planned to fully open the tombs by 2030.[16]
Landscape of the Ming Tombs (II)
Architectural pattern
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The construction scale of the tombs of the Ming Tombs is different. All the tombs built by the emperor before his death are relatively large, such as Changling, Yongling and Dingling.Those built after death are small in scale, such as Xianling, Jingling, Kangling, etc.Siling is the smallest of the Ming Tombs, because Emperor Chongzhen was the king of subjugation at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the tomb used was originally the tomb of the concubine Tian.
The most important architectural form of the Ming Tombs Cemetery is divided into several parts, such as sacrificial area, burial area, government office and protection organization, forming a complete set of overall planned architectural pattern of the tomb.[8]
The sacrificial area mainly refers to the above ground buildings of each cemetery and the leading part of the cemetery.The ground buildings mainly include Shenlu, Shipaifang, Dahongmen, Dabeilou, Shixiangsheng, Shenqiao and Cemetery.[9]
The burial area includes the mausoleum and underground palace, which are collectively called mausoleum palace buildings. It is the concentration place of the ground buildings of various imperial mausoleums, and also an important special place for sacrificial activities.Each mausoleum is built behind the mountain. The distance between mausoleums ranges from 500 meters to 8000 meters.Except Siling, which is separated from the southwest, the rest of the buildings are arranged around Changling in a fan shape in different directions. Although the scale is different, the layout and form of ground buildings are basically the same, especially the main buildings are almost the same.The buildings of the tombs and palaces of the Ming Tombs are self-contained, with sacrifices in the front and dormitories in the back. The porch, hall, Ming Lou, and Baocheng are arranged in a clear, solemn and orderly way, highlighting the characteristics of the mausoleum based buildings.The central axis is the main part of the building distribution, and the two sides are the auxiliary buildings. The building layout is reasonable and complete, which is consistent with the layout of traditional Chinese buildings.With the gradual rise of the terrain, the buildings are scattered in height.The underground palace is the parking area for the coffins of emperors and empresses.Tunnel and corridor are generally built in front of underground buildings, which become the guiding part for entering the underground palace.The plan of the underground palace is in the shape of a cross.In the stone arch structure, the arch of the back hall is orthogonal to the arch of the middle hall. This kind of arch was called the "D" shaped big one at that time, and it is a building form specially used by emperors. It is not allowed to build the tombs of dukes, marquises and ministers in this form.The underground palace shape of the "cross" shaped architectural layout of the Ming Dynasty imperial mausoleum is modeled on the layout of the inner palace buildings where the emperor lived during his lifetime, that is, the so-called "nine tiered law palace". The law palace is the inner court building in the imperial palace, that is, the emperor's bedroom.The underground mausoleum palace of the Ming Dynasty is a multi room architectural layout. Although this architectural layout has been widely used in the Tang and Song dynasties, the architectural layout and architectural form of the underground mausoleum palace of the Ming Dynasty are more than those of the previous dynasties.In the back hall of the underground palace are placed the coffins of the empress, and the left and right side halls are also built with coffins.The nave is the place where the funeral officials held sacrificial rites and placed the stone throne of the emperor and the queen, the five glazed offerings and other burial objects after the Zigong Palace was Feng'an.[9]
The Ming Tombs Government Offices mainly refer to the relevant administrative organizations responsible for protection and management.For example, mausoleum supervisors, ancestral temples and memorial offices, god stables, orchards, hazelnut factories, etc.The tomb ban system in the Ming Dynasty was very strict. In order to ensure the safety and prevention of the mausoleum area, the Ming Tombs, with the exception of the Siling Tomb, had a whole set of management institutions with different functions, such as tomb supervisors.These ancillary buildings are an important part of the complete organizational system of each mausoleum.
Qing Dynasty, Unknown Ming Tombs
Main attractions
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overview
The Ming Tombs are the general name of the royal tombs of the 13 emperors after the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing. They are Changling (Chengzu), Xianling (Renzong), Jingling (Xuanzong), Yuling (Yingzong), Maoling (Xianzong), Tailing (Xiaozong), Kangling (Wuzong), Yongling (Shizong), Zhaoling (Muzong), Dingling (Shenzong), Qingling (Guangzong), Deling (Xizong)Siling (Yizong).[1]
Sacrifice area
Shenlu
Shinto Path, also known as Shinto, is a Shinto shared by thirteen tombs and a guiding part of the ground architecture of the Ming Dynasty imperial tombs.The Shenlu Road starts from the Stone Memorial Archway in the south and ends at Changling in the north, with a total length of 7000 meters.There are stone statues, Lingxing Gate, Five hole Bridge, Seven hole Bridge and so on in the Shenlu. Starting from the Seven hole Bridge, the Shenlu branch from here to each cemetery.[9]
Shenlu
The stone archway
The stone memorial archway, all of which are white marble structures, is a landmark building at the entrance of the whole cemetery, located between the sand mountains on both sides of the south side of the cemetery.Built in the 19th year of Jiajing (1540) of the Ming Dynasty, it was built by Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty to celebrate the sainthood of ancestors, so it is called "Saint Virtue Memorial Archway".The whole memorial archway is made of many huge blue white stones, which are carved by wild geese and connected by mortise and tenon.There are five stone archways in total. The wooden structure is 28.86 meters wide and 12 meters high. It is the oldest existing large-scale stone archway of high grade in China.The components are carved with exquisite patterns such as dragons, lions and flowers, which recall the outstanding level of stone building technology in the Ming Dynasty.[9]
The stone archway
Grand Palace Gate
The Great Red Gate, also known as the Great Palace Gate, is the main gate of the cemetery.The door is a three hole coupon door. The top of the side hall is covered with yellow glazed tile. The wall is built with bricks and stones, and the whole body is painted red.The two sides of the gate are connected to the cemetery enclosure.In front of the Dahongmen, there are two steles on the east and west sides of the gate, which are carved from the jade of the Han Dynasty, and engraved with the words "officials and people get off their horses here".Anyone who comes to sacrifice the mausoleum must step into the mausoleum to show the dignity of the imperial mausoleum.The original Fuchen Hall, also called Shizhi Hall, was built for the emperor and empress in the east of the gate, and there is no room for it now.[9]
Grand Palace Gate
Stele pavilion
The Pavilion of Steles, located in the front of the Shenlu, is the "Pavilion of Steles of Magical Skills and Virtue" in Changling, built in the first year of the orthodoxy (1436).The stele pavilion is square in plan and 25.14 meters high. It has double eaves and rests on the top of the mountain. It is covered with yellow glazed tiles. The walls are painted with bricks and stones. The whole body is painted red. Doors are built on all sides.Inside the pavilion, there is a stone tablet with dragon head and turtle falling down, which is more than 7 meters high and carved from white marble.There are inscriptions on the four sides of the stone tablet. The seal script on the head of the stone tablet reads "The Monument for the Sacred Skill and Virtue of the Changling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty". The inscription is written by Zhu Gaochi, the Mingren Sect, and written by Cheng Nanyun, a famous calligrapher in the early Ming Dynasty, with more than 3000 words.There is a Huabiao in the four corners of the stele pavilion, which is an important ornament of the stele pavilion. It is 10.8 meters high. The columns are carved with cloud dragon patterns. There are cloud plates on the top, and on the top discs are carved a squatting beast, commonly known as Sky Watching Roar.Huabiao are all carved with white marble, giving people a solemn and dignified feeling.[9]
The group of stone carvings is a group of stone carvings of people and animals placed in front of the mausoleum. In ancient times, it was called Stone Statue Life (also known as Wengzhong).From the two hexagonal stone pillars in the north of the Beiting Pavilion to the two sides of the 1000 meter Shinto Road that ends at the Longfeng Gate, 24 stone beasts and 12 stone men are neatly arranged, with vivid shapes and fine carvings. There are 6 kinds of stone beasts, 4 of each kind, which are in the shape of two standing and two kneeling.They are displayed here with certain meanings.The stone figures are divided into four distinguished officials, four civil officials and four military officials. They were the close attendants of the emperor during his lifetime. They are all standing figures holding wat with their hands, powerful and pious.This kind of stone statue was set up in the imperial mausoleum more than 2000 years ago in the Qin and Han dynasties.It is mainly used for decoration and embellishment to symbolize the dignity of the emperor during his lifetime, indicating that the emperor also has civil and military officials and various livestock to drive in the underworld after his death, and can still dominate everything.[9]
Shenlu Stone Carving
Lattice star gate
Lingxing Gate is also called Dragon Wind Gate.The three door openings are composed of four stone pillars, which are similar to Huabiao, with cloud plates and strange animals on the pillars.The central part of the architrave of the three doors is also decorated with a stone fire bead, so the door is also called "Flame Memorial Archway".On the northwest side of the Longfeng Gate, there was a temporary palace, which was a resting place for emperors and empresses to worship the mausoleum.,But later it became the main mausoleum road of the whole mausoleum area.The road runs through the north and south of the cemetery, with a total length of 7 kilometers. There are a series of buildings along the road, which are well arranged and spectacular.[9]
Lattice star gate
Cemetery area
Changling
ChanglingLocated under the middle peak of Tianshou Mountain, it is the joint tomb of Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the empress Xu.It was the "Longevity Palace" built by Emperor Yongle in the seventh year of Yongle (1409).The cemetery has a large scale, strict materials, fine construction and numerous projects. The construction of the underground palace alone took four years.
Changling is the largest and most magnificent architectural complex of the Ming Tombs.The plane is rectangular, the front is round, the building layout is three courtyards, and there are tall red mausoleum garden walls around.The main buildings are built on a north-south axis. There is a Wuzi monument in front of the tomb gate, and a stone bridge is built in front of the monument to connect with the Shinto.The main building of the first courtyard is the Ren'enmen Gate, and there are auxiliary buildings on both sides, such as the chef, the shrine, and the slaughter house.The second courtyard is the main part of the sacrificial area, with the highest building scale and building grade.The Zhi'en Hall in the main hall is tall and magnificent, with side halls built on both sides to echo each other.Lingen Hall was built in the 14th year of Yongle (1416). It is the place where the memorial tablets of emperors and empresses are worshipped and the sacrificial activities of Shangling are held.The main hall is nine rooms wide, with double eaves on the top of the side hall and yellow glazed tile roof. It is resplendent and is located on the Xumizuo type platform surrounded by three layers of white marble railings and a small platform on the first floor.In front of the platform base, there are three platforms with stone railings. In front of each platform, there are three steps. In the middle, there are high relief stone carvings of Royal Road. The carvings are exquisite patterns such as sea cliffs and two dragons playing with pearls.The "golden brick" floor in the hall, and the building components of the hall, such as beams, columns, beams, purlins, and brackets, are all made of phoebe, because the phoebe has exquisite materials, pure natural aroma, and special corrosion resistance.The 60 whole wood nanmu pillars supporting the hall are sturdy, especially the 32 heavy ladder gold pillars in the hall, which are 12.58 meters high and more than one meter in diameter, and are rare in the world.[10]
Aerial photo of Ming Changling
Sacrifice Mausoleum
Sacrifice MausoleumIt is the joint tomb of Zhu Gaochi, the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the empress Zhang.Zhu Gaochi (1378-1425), with the year title of Hongxi and the temple name of Renzong, ascended the throne at the age of 47, and reigned for ten months at the age of 48.Xianling was built in the first year of Hongxi (1425) in July, and the Xuangong Palace was completed in August.In 1443, the ground construction was completed.It takes 18 years.It covers an area of about 42000 square meters.[9]
The Shinto of Xianling is separated from the north of Wukong Bridge in the north of Changling Shinto, with a length of about 1 km.A single empty stone bridge was built on the way.The road surface is paved with city bricks in the middle, and the two sides are plastered with gravel for apron, which is very simple.Its orientation is 200 meters south by west, covering only about 42000 square meters.The mausoleum hall, the side hall of the two verandas, and the chef are each 5 rooms, and they are all single eaved buildings;There are only 3 gatehouses (祾祾祾 Gate);The coupon gate under the city is changed to a simpler form of direct access to the front and back.The screen wall is located behind the Fangcheng and in front of the tomb because it is not located in the coupon hole.As the system of offering mausoleums does not pursue luxury, the saying of "offering mausoleums is the most simple, while the scenic mausoleums are the smallest" has set an example for the later Ming mausoleum architecture.[9]
Another feature of the Ming Xianling Mausoleum is that the Hall of En and the Fangcheng Minglou are not connected to each other in the courtyard.In front of the hall, there is a courtyard with two side halls and a silk stove.The main gate of the courtyard is the Gate of En, which is also the gate of the cemetery. In front of the gate, there is a platform, and behind the gate, there is a single gate.The back is dominated by Baocheng and Minglou.Two lattice star gates and stone offerings were built in the courtyard.The gate is three glazed doors with single eaves resting on the top of the mountain.Between the two courtyards, there is a small earth mountain (Yingbi Mountain).
Aerial panorama of Ming Xianling Mausoleum
Zhaoling
ZhaolingLocated at the eastern foot of Dayu Mountain, it is the joint burial tomb of the twelfth Ming Dynasty emperor, Muzongzhuang, and his three empresses.Zhaoling is the first large-scale restoration cemetery among the Ming Tombs, and it is also one of the tourist attractions officially opened to the cemetery.
The Zhaoling Mausoleum has a construction area of 35000 square meters, and now has complete 祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾祾311.Zhu Zaiyeng, the twelfth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his three empresses are buried here.
According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, each mausoleum has a single raised upper eave and a heavy raised upper eave with seven steps on the arch, and a heavy raised lower eave with five steps on the arch.However, the repaired Zhaoling mausoleum has become a single raised and five stepped bucket arch with upper and lower eaves.A stone coupon roof is also added in the Minglou.Although the reconstruction time of the Lingen Gate and Lingen Hall has not changed significantly, they have all narrowed down.Lingen Hall, originally five rooms wide (30.38m) and four rooms deep (16.77m);After reconstruction in the Qing Dynasty, the area width and the number of rooms remained unchanged, but the scale was reduced to 23.3 meters.The depth is changed to three rooms, and the scale is reduced to 11.92 meters.Ling'enmen, originally three rooms wide (18.44m) and two rooms deep (8.04m);After reconstruction in the Qing Dynasty, the width was reduced to 12.52 meters and the depth was reduced to 6.77 meters.The two side halls in the mausoleum and the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion in front of the mausoleum were not rebuilt, and the ruins were also demolished.Only the old pavilion foundation around the stele was built with a wall around it.Since then, it has not been repaired for 200 years.The magnificent mausoleum buildings in the past were desolate, leaving only the damaged Ming Lou and the mausoleum wall.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Zhaoling
Jingling Tomb
Jingling Tomb, located under the Tianshou East Peak (also known as Heishan Mountain), is the joint burial tomb of the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzongzhang, Emperor Zhu Zhanji (year name Xuande), and empress Sun.
The Jingling Shinto is separated from the north Wukong Bridge of Changling Shinto from the south to the east, with a length of about 1.5 kilometers. A single empty stone bridge is built on the way.The Mausoleum Palace faces 550 meters south by west, covering an area of about 25000 square meters.Because of the terrain, the city has been built into a long and slender shape.The two square courtyard in front is connected with the treasure city in the back.On the central axis, buildings such as 祾 Enmen Gate, 祾 Endian Hall, three gates, Lingxing Gate, Shigong Plan, Fangcheng, Minglou, etc. are built in turn.
The foundation of the Hall of En in the Jingling Mausoleum is still a relic after the reconstruction in the Jiajing period.It can be seen from the distribution of the stones on the eaves, columns, columns and foundations of the remains of the Ming Dynasty hall that the hall was originally composed of five storerooms (31.34 meters), three storerooms (16.9 meters) deep, and one building (8.1 meters wide and 4.03 meters deep) behind. The pattern of two dragons playing pearls carved on the royal road in front is more exquisite and spectacular than that of the tomb.
There are also pillar foundation stones left after the reconstruction of the Qing Dynasty on the foundation of the Yongen Gate and Yongen Hall.There are only steles and foundations in the Shengde Pavilion.[9]
Aerial panorama of Mingjingling Mausoleum
Dingling Tomb
Dingling TombIt is the mausoleum of Zhu Yijun, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Shenzongxian (the year of Wanli).There are also his two queens buried here.The mausoleum is located at the foot of Dayu Mountain, in the southwest of Changling, and was built in the 12th to 18th years of Wanli (1584-1590).The main buildings are 祾 Enmen Gate, 祾 Endian Hall, Baocheng, Minglou and Underground Palace, etc.It covers an area of 182000 square meters.It is the only tomb among the Ming Tombs that has been excavated.The Dingling Underground Palace is available for tourists to visit.[9]
Aerial panorama of the Ming Tomb
Yongling
YonglingLocated at the southern foot of Yangcuiling, it is the joint burial tomb of Zhu Houxuan (Jiajing), the eleventh generation emperor Shizongsu of the Ming Dynasty, and Empress Chen, Fang and Du.
Yongling has a grand scale.It has seven double eaves halls, nine side halls on the left and nine side halls on the right. Its regulation is second only to that of Changling, but exceeds that of the six mausoleums of Xian, Jing, Yu, Mao, Tai and Kang.Its Kuo En facade is five rooms wide, which is equal to Changling. Later, only Dingling has the same system with it.In addition to the square courtyard and the treasure city of Yongling, there is also an outer city that is not found in the previous seven tombs. Its system "grows, the meticulous and exquisite craftsmanship of the stone, and the planning of Changling is beyond the imagination".In the Outer City, there are five chefs on the left and five shrines on the right, and the East West Long Street is built in imitation of the system of Shengong Yongxiang.The ancient people designed the Outer Luocheng to bury the imperial concubines in the Outer Luocheng. The burial location is planned to be outside Baoshan City, in front of the Minglou, that is, outside the left and right palace walls in front of the Minglou.[9]
Aerial panorama of Yongling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty
Qingling
QinglingLocated at the south foot of the second ridge of Huangshan Temple in the Tianshou Mountain Mausoleum in Changping, Beijing, it is the joint burial tomb of Zhu Changluo (Taichang), the 14th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Guangzongzhen, and empresses Guo, Wang, and Liu.
The underground Xuangong Temple in Qingling Tomb was built in March of the first year of the Tianqi (1621) and closed on July 29. It took four months and cost 1.5 million taels of silver.The quality of the project is fine. Except that the Xuangong Palace is made of stone, its "back, middle and front halls" are separated by "heavy doors".The ground construction was completed in the sixth year of Tianqi (1626).Its mausoleum building consists of Shinto, Mausoleum Palace and its external auxiliary buildings.A single empty stone bridge was built on the Shinto.Near the mausoleum, there is a posthumous stele pavilion of divine skill and virtue, in which a stele is erected, with a dragon head and a turtle falling down, and no words.
The overall layout of Qingling Mausoleum Palace is in the shape of front and back, covering an area of about 27600 square meters.There are two square courtyards in front, which are not connected with each other. There is a Shinto between the two courtyards, and three single empty stone bridges are built behind the first courtyard.The first one to enter the courtyard is the Lingmen Gate, which is three bays wide with a single roof resting on the top of the mountain.In the courtyard, there are five halls of grace and five side halls on the left and right.Two Shenbo furnaces.In the second courtyard, there are three doors in front, with two arches and a stone offering table inside. On the table, there is a stone incense burner, two in Thailand, and two vases. Behind the square courtyard, there is a round treasure city. At the entrance of the treasure city, there is a square city platform, on which there is a double eaved Xieshan style open building.In the building, a monument with holy names is erected, engraved with "Daming" and "Tomb of Emperor Guangzongzhen".Behind the Minglou, the Baocheng is filled with loess. In the center, a small cylinder with a diameter of about 28 meters is rammed up and down to form the top of the treasure.The retaining wall in front of the tomb is as high as the Baocheng wall, and it is surrounded with the Baocheng platform and the walls on both sides to form a courtyard in the shape of "crescent moon" - the dumb courtyard. There is a wall style glazed screen wall in the courtyard.There are also some ancillary buildings outside the mausoleum, such as the slaughter house, the chef, the shrine, the ancestral hall, the temple supervisor, the court room, the orchard, the hazel factory, the god horse room, etc.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Qing Mausoleum
Maoling
Maoling, located at the foot of Jubao Mountain on the right side of Yuling, is the eighth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor XianzongchunZhu Jianshen(YearChenghua）It is a joint burial mausoleum with Empress Wang, Ji and Shao.
The buildings in Maoling were well preserved at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, and the furnishings in the Yongen Hall were also well preserved.Gu Yanwu's Changping Mountains and Rivers Record records the situation of Maoling in Shunzhi and Kangxi years: "The twelve mausoleums are only completed by Maoling alone, and other mausoleums may only have the imperial couch, while Maoling is still the owner of the event." By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Gate of En had collapsed due to years of disrepair, and the Hall of En had been damaged and demolished during the Republic of China.Its current situation is the same as that of Yuling.
Aerial panorama of Maoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty
Kangling
KanglingLocated at the east foot of Jinling (also known as Lianhua Mountain or Babao Lianhua Mountain), it is the tomb of Zhu Houzhao (Zhengde), the tenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Empress Xia.
It took one year to build the Kangling Mausoleum. The overall layout follows the former system, which is in the shape of front and rear circles.The mausoleum was built in the 16th year of Zhengde (1521) and covers an area of 27000 square meters.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Kangling was burned down and renovated during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Kangling Mausoleum
Tailing
Tailing, located at the southern foot of the east side of Bijia Mountain, also known as "Shijiatai", or "Shijiashan", is the joint burial tomb of the ninth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Xiao Zong, to pay homage to the emperor Zhu Youjian (Hongzhi) and the empress Zhang.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Tomb
Deling
DelingLocated at the west foot of Tanyu Ridge, it is the tomb of Zhu Youxiao (Tianqi), the 15th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the empress Zhang.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Tomb
Yuling
YulingLocated at the southern foot of Shimen Mountain, the west peak of Tianshou Mountain, it is the joint burial tomb of Zhu Qizhen, the sixth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and empresses Qian and Zhou.[9]
Aerial panorama of Ming Yuling
Siling
SilingIt was built in about 1642. It was originally the imperial palace dormitory of Imperial Concubine Tian, the favorite concubine of Emperor Sizong.After the demise of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng ordered people to bury Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty and the empress Zhou's family together in the tomb of Concubine Tian. In order to win the hearts of the people and change its name to Siling, it became the only tomb among the Ming Tombs where emperors, empresses and concubines were buried together. Compared with the tombs of the Ming Dynasty, Siling is also small in scale.There is also the tomb of Wang Chengen, the close eunuch of Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty, buried with him near the Siling. Emperor Shunzhi and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty also set up a monument for Wang Chengen to praise his loyalty and martyrdom.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Siling suffered many disasters and was severely damaged.The catacombs were stolen twice by local bandits.In 1947, the Kuomintang army demolished the ground buildings of the cemetery on a large scale to build the turret.Siling has become a desolate place. Only tombs, building hall sites, stone carvings and steles have been preserved as precious cultural relics.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the state attached great importance to the protection of cultural relics, and Siling received due protection.Although there are no magnificent palaces and towers in the Ming Siling, the remnants of the ancient mausoleum and the pines and waves still have a different artistic conception.In particular, the surviving stone carvings are wonderful in conception and exquisite in carving.[9]
Ming Siling
Funerary tomb
Imperial Concubine Garden
There are seven imperial concubines' garden dormitories in the Ming Tombs Cemetery, which are Xianzong Princess Wan's garden dormitories, Shenzong Princess Five's garden dormitories (Princess Zheng's tomb), Shizong Princess Xian's garden dormitories, Shizong Princess Four's garden dormitories and Second Prince's garden dormitories (five son's tomb), Shizong Princess Three's garden dormitories (mourning the tomb) and Chengzu Princess' garden dormitories (east well and west well).Among the seven Princess Garden Beds, the scale of Princess Wan's Garden Beds and Princess Zheng's Garden Beds is the largest, and the number of buildings on the ground is also the largest.
The building regulations of the Imperial Concubine's Garden Bedroom are basically the same, except for the differences in the size and scale of the garden bed and the number of buildings.The building forms are divided into two types: front and back circle and rectangle.The building layout is based on the central axis as the baseline of the building group. The main buildings are all located on the central axis, and there are ancillary buildings on both sides of the main hall.The central axis buildings include the garden bedroom door, the double door, the hall of enjoyment, the triple door, the screen wall, the stone tablet, the memorial, and finally the tomb. In front of the hall of enjoyment, there are auxiliary buildings such as the chef, the shrine, and the side hall.The garden dormitory is surrounded by tall walls.
The tomb structure of the imperial concubine garden dormitory is a palace style building with a plane in the shape of "I", which is composed of the tomb door, the front room and the main room.The tomb is an arched building. There are two stone doors between the front room and the main room. The door is carved with a paving head.The top of the door is glazed tile, with three dragon head shaped owls at both ends, and the eaves are decorated with dragon patterns.The roof of the main room is Si'a style. The top slope is covered with square bricks, and the vertical ridge is decorated with glazed tiles.In the tomb is a coffin bed above the ground, on which coffins are placed.There is a throne on both sides of the stone door in the front room.In front of the throne are five stone offerings (incense burner 1, candlesticks and vases 2 each) and an ever burning lamp.[13]
Tomb of Wang Chengen
Tomb of Wang ChengenIt is located in front of the Siling, facing east from the west. The first monument on the east side is 2 meters high, and the front is inscribed with "Tomb of Wang Chengen" in running script by Ni Qin of Wu Xia.The second pass stele is 4 meters high, with a dragon head resting on its head. The inscription on the stele is 800 words, and it was written by Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty.The stele next to the tomb is 2 meters high. The head of the dragon is in a square shape. On the head of the stele there are four characters: "The Imperial Honor for Loyalty". The inscription is 240 characters. It was written by Emperor Shunzhi to praise Wang Chengen for "giving priority to loyal officials and sacrificing their lives to obey" when he built the Siling in the second year of Shunzhi's reign.
Government office building
Mausoleum supervisor
The Mausoleum Supervisor is also called the Divine Palace Supervisor. Each mausoleum of the Ming Tombs has a special palace supervisor for the eunuchs to live in. It is a special management organization for the imperial mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, and is under the charge of internal officials.Mausoleum supervisors are usually built near the Mausoleum Palace, on the left or right side of the Mausoleum Palace.Each tomb has one supervisor.Each prison has a member of the eunuch who is in charge of the printing, and several subordinates, such as Jin Shu, management, Si Xiang, and Chang Sui.At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were fewer officials in each mausoleum. In the orthodox period, there were only two or three officials in each mausoleum. By the time of Chenghua, there were 12 officials in each mausoleum.The main responsibility of the tomb supervisor is to specially manage the sacrifices, maintain the safety of the cemetery, and manage the imperial manors, orchards, hazelnut factories, god horse houses, etc.Because of its great responsibility, each tomb supervisor is equipped with thousands of people, who are responsible for assisting the tomb supervisor and other management organizations to maintain the safety of the cemetery, and also for squeezing the evil forces of the people near the cemetery.In the first year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1644), the Si Xiang Palace and Linghu were set up, and then the tomb supervisors gradually became villages.
The sites of the mausoleum supervisors are all located near their mausoleums, which is convenient for guarding and daily management.There is no fixed format for the orientation of each mausoleum supervisor, which is basically built in the direction of the mausoleum. Therefore, there are not many positive directions of the mausoleum supervisors of the Ming Tombs, many of which are oblique. For example, the directions of the Tai Mausoleum Supervisor and the Kang Mausoleum Supervisor are west north, while the directions of the Qing Mausoleum Supervisor are southeast.
The shape plane of the tomb supervisor is square and rectangular, which is enclosed by two internal and external walls, also known as the outer wall and the Huizi wall. In terms of scale, the outer wall is higher than the Huizi wall.There are two types of exterior wall: brick wall and tiger skin stone wall. Because of different times, the materials used are different.In the early period, the outer wall of the mausoleum prison was basically built with pebbles except the outer door of the prison. In the late period, the mausoleum prison was built with city bricks.[11]
Lingwei
The Lingwei is a military organization that protects the mausoleum. It is called the Lingwei Army.Its main responsibility is to guard the cemetery. It is a royal garrison dedicated to maintaining the imperial mausoleum and an important part of the Ming Tombs protection organization.The Ming Tombs once set up the Twelve Tombs Guard. Except for Siling, every imperial tomb has a tomb guard to protect the cemetery.In the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Tombs used to be a heavily guarded restricted area. A city wall was built around the Ming Tombs, which was called a border city at that time. The Ming Tombs once had ten mountain passes and two gates around the cemetery area.The main mountain passes include Dongshankou, Laojuntangkou, Huilingkou, Xianzhuangkou, Yanzikou, Deshengkou, Xishankou and Zhazikou.The Border Town is about thirty to forty kilometers long. It was built using the natural terrain of the basin where the Ming Tomb is located. It is generally divided into two parts: the southern part is dominated by manual construction of the Border Town, and the northern part is dominated by the mountain cutoff. The wall is tall and solid.There is an old building in the border city, which is guarded by heavy troops day and night, reaching tens of thousands of people at many times.
The architecture of the border town can be divided into two types, one is the brick wall in the front of the cemetery in the big and small Hongmen section, and the other is the tiger skin stone wall in the remote section of the cemetery.The former is located on the front of the mausoleum area, which is the only way for the royal family to pay homage to the mausoleum and worship, so this section of border town is built most solemnly. The city bricks are built, the walls are painted with red chalk, and the wall caps are made of yellow glazed tiles. The red walls and yellow tiles are very spectacular.This section of wall is in harmony with the color and form of the main buildings such as the Big Red Gate and the Small Red Gate.[12]
Cultural relic value
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The Ming Tombs carefully selected the site according to the geomantic theory, paid great attention to the harmony and unity between the mausoleum building and the natural mountains, rivers and vegetation, and pursued the perfect state in the form of "heaven and earth" to reflect the philosophy of "harmony between nature and man".Under the guidance of Chinese traditional geomantic omen theory, as an outstanding representative of Chinese ancient imperial tombs, it shows the rich connotation of Chinese traditional culture.[8]
Cultural relics protection
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On January 30, the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), the 61st meeting of the Hebei Provincial Committee adopted the Measures for the Protection of Ming Tombs in Changping County, Hebei Province.Decided to set up a police station for protecting the mausoleum in Changling
In January of the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), the Beiping Municipal Government, according to the order of the National Government to protect antiquities, sent people to survey Changling and estimate the repair funds.The repair was started on March 21 and completed on June 27.The project includes Dahongmen, Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion, Longfeng Gate, Changling Mausoleum Gate, Mausoleum Stele Pavilion, Youen Gate, Youen Hall, Inner Red Gate, Pailou Gate, Minglou, Imperial Wall, Shenbo Furnace, etc.
From the 26th year of the Republic of China to the 37th year of the Republic of China (1937-1948), the damaged Tangen Gate and Tangen Hall in Xianjing, Yuyu, Maotai, Kangyong, Zhaoqing, Deqing and other tombs were gradually demolished in the war, leaving only ruins.After the Siling Hall, Beiting Pavilion and Minglou were demolished by the National Revolutionary Army, the bricks were transported away to build the turret
From 1949 to 1950, Changping County Government under the Tongxian County Special Administration of Hebei Province established the Tomb Protection Committee in Jingling Village
In October 1952, the Cultural Bureau of Hebei Province instructed that the Mausoleum Protection Committee should be changed into the Ming Tombs Cultural Relics Custody
In January 1955, the Beijing Municipal People's Government sent the First Construction Company of the Municipal Bureau of Construction Engineering to prepare materials for construction and repair the Three Tombs of Chang, Jing and Yong according to the instructions of the former Council of Government on taking over the Ming Tombs, repairing ancient buildings, planting trees and turning them into parks;In September, the Ming Tombs were assigned by Changping County, Hebei Province to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape Architecture.
In 1957, the Beijing Municipal People's Government announced that the Ming Tombs were among the first batch of key historical and cultural sites to be protected in Beijing.In May, nearly 3000 cultural relics were unearthed when the underground Xuangong Palace of Dingling Tomb was opened.
In 1958, the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ministry of Culture approved the establishment of the Dingling Museum.
In October 1959, Dingling officially opened to the outside world (under the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture)
In 1957, the Ming Tombs were listed as the first batch of key historical and cultural relics protection units in Beijing.
In 1961, the Ming Tombs were listed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.[14]
From 1961 to the 1990s, restoration work was carried out, and other tombs were opened one after another
On August 24, 1966, during the "Cultural Revolution", under the slogan of "overthrow the landlord class leader Wanli", the "rebels" composed of the staff of the Dingling Museum entered the cultural relics warehouse of the Dingling Museum, and pulled out three skeletons of the "Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun", "Empress Xiaoduxian" and "Empress Xiaojing" Wang on the square in front of the Great Red Gate of Dingling,Conduct a "critical fight" and finally burn it down.
In April 1987, the Zhaoling restoration project was started;Completed in 1992.
In July 1988, the Ming Tombs and Mao Tombs were repaired.
In 1992, the Ming Tombs Sacred Road restoration project.
In October 1992, the Ming Tombs Xianling Fangcheng Minglou emergency repair project.
In November 1994, the Ming Tombs were repaired.
In February 1998, the Ming Tombs were repaired.
In May 1995, the restoration project of Xianling was completed;In July, the second phase of Shenlu project was completed;December "Ming Tombs Museum" was established.
In June 2001, the first phase of the rescue and repair project of the Ming Tombs.
In February 2002, the second phase of the rescue and repair project of the Ming Tombs.
In January 2003, the Ming Tombs and Kang Tombs were protected and repaired.
In February 2003, the Ming Tombs were repaired.
On July 3, 2003, the Ming Tombs, as an expansion project of the royal tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was approved by the 27th World Heritage Conference of the United Nations and listed in the World Heritage List.[6]
In July 2003, the Three Gates and Screen Wall Protection and Repair Project of the Ming Tombs and the Kangling Mausoleum.
In August 2005, the Ming Tombs and Kangling Tombs were protected and repaired by Simen.
In December 2005, the Ming Tombs and Zhaoling Tombs were repaired.[8]
On the afternoon of March 21, 2017, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage established a special inspection team to thoroughly investigate the potential safety hazards of the Ming Tombs.[2]
On April 29, 2017, it was learned from the Ming Tombs Town of Changping District that after the theft of the five candlesticks for the Siling Stone, the Ming Tombs will carry out a six-month inspection of cultural relics security from this month to the end of September.The relevant person in charge also introduced that the Ming Tombs will introduce eight advanced security technology management means, such as lightwave vibration anti-theft digging system, infrared pulse alarm, electronic patrol system, and update the old monitoring equipment.[3]
Tourism information
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Ticket Price
Off season fare (November March)
Ticket type
Full vote
Half price ticket (student)
Coupons
100 yuan
50 yuan
Shenlu
20 yuan
10 yuan
Zhaoling
20 yuan
10 yuan
Changling
30 yuan
15 yuan
Dingling Tomb
40 yuan
20 yuan
Ticket price in peak season (April October)
The combined ticket is 135 yuan, which has not been in the peak season. The specific ticket price is expected to be supplemented by tourists who have been there.
Opening Hours
scenic spot
Peak Season
(April 1 to October 31 each year)
Off Season
(November 1 of each year to March 31 of the next year)
Ming Tomb
8: 00-17:30 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
Ming Changling
8: 00-17:30 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
Ming Zhaoling
8: 30-17:30 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
Total Shinto
8: 10-17:30 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
The Great Wall Juyongguan
8: 00-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-16:30 (ticket suspension time)
Silver Pagoda
8: 00-17:00 (ticket suspension time)
8: 30-16:30 (ticket suspension time)
transport line
If you want to visit the Ming Tombs Scenic Area by car, please drive from Madian Bridge of the North Third Ring Road to Jingchang Expressway, and then drive out of the expressway at the exit leading to the "Changping Xiguan Roundabout";Half a circle around the Panxiguan Island, you can enter the Ming Tombs Scenic Area.[4]
scenic spot
Public transport routes
Ming Tomb
1. Take the 345 branch line at Deshengmen West Station to the intersection of Changping Dongguan, and then turn to No. 314;2. Take No. 881 at Deshengmen West Station to the intersection of Changping Dongguan and turn to No. 314
Ming Changling
Ming Zhaoling
1. Take the 345 branch line at Deshengmen West Station to Changping Sports Committee and transfer to No. 22;2. Beijing Lishuiqiao Bus Line "Changping 22" - Zhaoling Village;3. Take Bus 881 at Deshengmen Station to Shahe Station and then transfer to Bus Changping 22.
Total Shinto
1. Take the 345 branch line at Deshengmen West Station to Changping Sports Committee and transfer to No. 22;2. At Deshengmen West Station, take No.345 branch line, No.881 to Changping Dongguan intersection, and then transfer to No.314 Nanxincun Station;3. Take "Changping 22nd Road" in Tiantongyuan of Beijing Metro Line 5.
Juyonguan Great Wall
1. Take 345 bus from Deshengmen to Shahe, and then transfer to Chang68 bus to the scenic spot;2. Take No. 883 bus at Deshengmen to Nankou East Street, and then transfer to Chang68 bus to the scenic spot;3. City Railway (Line 13): Get off at Longze Station and transfer to No. 68 urban and rural shuttle bus in Changping District to the scenic spot.
Silver Pagoda
1. Take No. 345 bus at Deshengmen and turn to No. 31 bus at "Changping North Station" to Yinshan Tallin Station.
