The Ming Tombs are located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in Changping District , Beijing China, People’s Republic of China , about 50 kilometers away from Tiananmen. The Ming Tombs are located in a small basin surrounded by mountains on three sides in the east, west and north. The area around the tomb is surrounded by mountains, the central part is a plain, and there is a meandering river in front of the tomb. From the beginning of Changling in May of the seventh year of Yongle (1409) to the burial of Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in Siling.
The Ming Tombs have a total of 13 imperial tombs, including the Changling Mausoleum of Chengzu Zhu Di, Xianling Mausoleum of Renzong Zhu Gaochi, Jingling Mausoleum of Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, Yuling Mausoleum of Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, Xianzong Zhu Jianshenmao Mausoleum, Xiaozong Zhu Youtang’s Tai Mausoleum. The Kangling Mausoleum of Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, the Yongling Mausoleum of Sejong Zhu Houcong, the Zhao Mausoleum of Mu Zong Zhu Zaihou, and the Ding Mausoleum of Shenzong Zhu Yijun. The Qingling Mausoleum of Guangzong Zhu Changluo, and the Deling Mausoleum of Xizong Zhu Youxiao. The Siling Mausoleum of Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian. In addition, there are 8 accompanying tombs, including 7 concubine (prince) tombs and 1 eunuch tomb. Its architectural form embodies the feudal rules and regulations of the Ming Dynasty. Both the emperor’s mausoleum and the rear mausoleum are covered with yellow glazed tiles.
The Ming Tombs area covers an area of 40 square kilometers. It is famous for its magnificent scale, complete cemetery system, solemn and harmonious layout, beautiful and quiet scenery, and elegant and simple style.
In 1957, it was listed as the first batch of key ancient buildings and cultural relic’s protection units in Beijing. In 1961, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. In 1982, the Ming Tombs and Badaling were listed as one of the national key scenic spots protection areas as a complete scenic spot. On July 3, 2003, the Ming Tombs, as an expansion project of the royal tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, were approved by the 27th United Nations World Heritage Conference and included in the “World Heritage List
The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The first Ming emperor’s tomb is located near his capital Nanjing. However, the majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near Beijing and collectively known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming dynasty.
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China…
Enjoy the cool air! I should be the first science popularization master who entered the Ming Tombs at night.
This is the largest and most complete royal cemetery in China, and the resting place of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. When the hustle and bustle of the day fades away, this cemetery has more vicissitudes of history. The purpose of this trip is to find the answer to a question.
Regardless of whether it is the imperial tombs of the Han and Tang Dynasties, the imperial tombs of the Song Dynasty, or the imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty, they were either severely damaged or completely looted. But why is it that only the Ming Tombs are relatively intact above and below ground? 明圣圣陵Why can survive to this day ?
Walk! Go down to the imperial mausoleum to solve the mystery that has been covered in dust for many years…
The Ming Tombs are located in Changping District, 50km northwest of Beijing, and are the general name of the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The mausoleum area covers an area of 80km2, and it is the relatively complete mausoleum building and the tomb group with the most buried emperors in the world today.
The construction of the Ming Tombs began in the seventh year of Ming Yongle (1409) and ended in the early Qing Dynasty, which lasted more than 200 years. According to the order of the construction time of the mausoleum, they are: Changling (Tomb of Emperor Yongle), Xianling (Tomb of Emperor Hongxi), Jingling (Tomb of Emperor Xuande), Yuling (Tomb of Emperor Zhengtong (that is, Emperor Tianshun)), Maoling (Tomb of Emperor Tianshun) Chenghua Emperor’s Tomb), Tailing (Hongzhi Emperor’s Tomb), Kangling (Zhengde Emperor’s Tomb), Yongling (Jiajing Emperor’s Tomb), Zhaoling (Longqing Emperor’s Tomb), Dingling (Wanli Emperor’s Tomb), Qingling (Taichang Emperor’s Tomb) Emperor’s Mausoleum), Deling (Tianqi Emperor’s Mausoleum), Siling (Chongzhen Emperor’s Mausoleum). In addition to the 13 emperors buried in the mausoleum area, there are also 23 empresses, 1 imperial concubine and dozens of palace officials who were buried. In addition, there are 7 concubine graves in the mausoleum area (East Well, West Well, Tomb of Concubine Wangui, Mourning Tomb, Tomb of Four Concubines and Two Princes, Tomb of Concubine Xian, Tomb of Concubine Zheng and Tombs of Concubines Erli, Liu, and Zhou) ) and a eunuch’s burial tomb (Wang Chengen’s tomb), as well as various buildings such as palaces and gardens serving the emperor’s mausoleum. City walls were built at 10 natural mountain passes (Dongshan Pass, Zhongshan Pass, Zhazikou, Xishan Pass, Desheng Pass, Yanzi Pass, Zhuishi Pass, Xianzhuang Pass, Huiling Pass, and Laojuntang Pass) around the mausoleum. , Barrier walls and other defensive facilities to protect the safety of the mausoleum area.
The construction of the imperial mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty was divided into several steps: the selection of the mausoleum site, the formulation of regulations, and the preparation of materials for construction. The selection of the mausoleum site is the primary link in the construction of the mausoleum. Generally, firstly, the first and second-rank officials of the DPRK will lead the Fengshui surveyors to follow the theory of Fengshui, “the shape of the mountain from the outside, and the land veins from the inside”. The emperor, if necessary, draws a picture, pastes a description, and finally decides by the emperor.
After Cheng Zu Zhu Di proclaimed himself emperor, he planned to move the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. In the sixth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1408), Zhu Di ordered Zhao Yan, Minister of Rites, to lead Jiangxi warlock Liao Junqing and others to visit the mausoleum near Beijing. After more than a year, the auspicious soil for thousands of years was finally found in the Huangtu Mountain in Changping. Zhu Di then sealed Huangtu Mountain as Tianshou Mountain, and decreed to encircle the area with a radius of 80 li as the forbidden area of the mausoleum.
The layout of the tombs of the Ming Tombs is not in accordance with the “Zhou Li” method of left and right, but with the respected ones in the main veins and the humble ones in the secondary veins (remaining veins). Changling is the first tomb of the Ming Tombs. It is located in the middle of the main peak of Tianshou Mountain, and other tombs are arranged around it. Among the Ming Tombs, Changling is the largest, followed by Yongling and Dingling, and Siling is the smallest. Mausoleum construction methods can be divided into three types: one is the mausoleum built by the emperor during his lifetime, which is large in scale and richly decorated (such as Changling Tomb, Yongling Mausoleum, and Ding Tomb); The posthumous edict of “building a mausoleum” may be affected by the burial period and national power, and the scale is small and relatively simple (such as Xianling and Jingling); the third is that the emperor will not have time to build the mausoleum during his lifetime, and the next dynasty will build it after the change of dynasty (such as Siling).
The Ming Tombs are famous all over the world for their majestic scale, complete cemetery system, solemn and harmonious layout, beautiful and quiet scenery, and elegant and simple style. In 1957, it was listed as the first batch of key ancient buildings and cultural relics protection units in Beijing. In 1961, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. In 1982, the Ming Tombs and Badaling were listed as one of the national key scenic spots protection areas as a complete scenic spot. On July 3, 2003, the Ming Tombs, as an expansion project of the royal tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, were approved by the 27th United Nations World Heritage Conference and included in the “World Heritage List”.
Images and visuals are from their respectives..