The Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are the tomb of the thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty. They are located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing. They are one of the largest and most imperial tombs in the country. Surrounded by mountains, the mausoleum has rivers and waters, and the scenery is beautiful. Come here to visit architecture, scenery, and to understand the ancient emperor’s funeral specifications.

The Ming Tombs are a unified whole, and the tombs are self-contained. Each tomb is built in front of a mountain. The tombs are similar in size. The distance between the tomb and the tomb is as little as half a kilometer and as much as eight kilometers. At present, only the “Yongling”, “Dingling”, “Zhaoling” and “Shenlu” are open in the Ming Tombs.

Changling

Changling is located in the south of the main peak of Tianshou Mountain. It is the burial mausoleum of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor Zhu Xi (Yongle) and the Queen Xu. The construction of the Ming Tombs is the largest, the construction time is the earliest, and the ground buildings are also best preserved. It is the ancestral tomb of the Ming Tombs and one of the most important tourist spots in the Mausoleum.

Dingling

Dingling is located under the Dagu Mountain, in the southwest of Changling. It is the tomb of the 13th Emperor Shenzong Emperor Zhu Xi (Year Wanli) of the Ming Dynasty. He is also buried with his two queens. The main buildings include Yan Enmen, Yan En Temple, Bao Cheng, Ming Lou, and Underground Palace. It is the only tomb that has been excavated in the Ming Tombs. Its underground palace is available for visitors to visit.

Zhaoling

Zhaoling is located in the eastern foothills of Datun, the tomb of the 12th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Mu Zongzhuang Emperor Zhu Zaiyu (Yong Qing) and his three empresses. There are still complete Jingenmen, Yan’en Hall and its things with the temple, Fangcheng, Minglou, Baoding and so on. Zhaoling is the first large-scale restoration and restoration cemetery in the Ming Tombs.

God road

Located at the southern end of the Ming Tombs, Shenlu Road is the gateway to the Ming Tombs. It is about 7 kilometers long and is the first attraction of the Ming Tombs. It consists of Stone Arch, Dahongmen, Beiting, Shixiangsheng and Longfengmen. At the southern end of Shenlu Road is the Stone Archway, which is the largest and earliest existing stone building in China. The stone statues are located from the two hexagonal stone pillars in the north of the monument. To the two sides of the kilometer of the dragon and the phoenix, 24 stone beasts and 12 stone people are neatly arranged. The shape is vivid and the carving is fine. It is the ancient Chinese cemetery. The rare stone carvings that are rare in it are also the biggest attraction of Shenlu.

As for planning a trip there see the Ming Tombs guide here which features maps and detailed transport info.

Map