Ming tombs

The siting of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui (geomancy) principles. According to these, bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North must be deflected; therefore, an arc-shaped valley area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains, north of Beijing, was selected. This 40 km² (15 sq mi) area—enclosed by the mountains in a pristine, quiet valley full of dark earth, tranquil water and other necessities as per Feng Shui—would become the necropolis of the Ming dynasty.

A 7-kilometer (4 mi) road named the "Spirit Way" (pinyin: Shéndào) leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of a three-arches, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate". The Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming dynasty, this archway is one of the biggest stone archways in China today.

Further in, the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion can be seen; inside, there is a 50-ton stone statue of a Bixi carrying a memorial tablet. Four white marble Huabiao (pillars of glory) are positioned at each corner of the stele pavilion. At the top of each pillar is a mythical beast. Each side of the road is flanked by two pillars whose surfaces are carved with the cloud design, and tops are shaped like a rounded cylinder. They are of a traditional design, and were originally beacons to guide the soul of the deceased, The road leads to 18 pairs of stone statues of mythical animals, which are all sculpted from whole stones and larger than life size, leading to a three-arched gate known as the Dragon and Phoenix Gate.

At present, only three tombs are open to the public:

• Changling, the largest (40°18′5.16″N 116°14′35.45″E / 40.3014333°N 116.2431806°E / 40.3014333; 116.2431806 (Chang Ling tomb));
• Dingling, whose underground palace has been excavated (40°17′42.43″N 116°12′58.53″E / 40.2951194°N 116.2162583°E / 40.2951194; 116.2162583 (Ding Ling tomb)); and
• Zhaoling.

There have been no excavations since 1989, but plans for new archeological research and further opening of tombs have circulated.

The Ming tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003. They were listed along with other tombs under the "Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" designation.

The imperial tombs are in chronological order and list the individuals buried:

The Ming emperors not buried in one of the Thirteen Tombs are: Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Biao, Emperor Kang, Jianwen Emperor, Jingtai Emperor, and Zhu Youyuan, Emperor Xian.

•  
  An entrance to a Ming tomb
•  
  Ling'en Hall of Changling Mausoleum
•  
  Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion at the beginning of the sacred walk leading to the tombs
•  
  A statue inside the Ming tombs
•  
  A statue inside the Ming tombs
•  
  Ling'en Gate of Changling Mausoleum
•  
  A silk burning stove at the Changling Mausoleum
•  
  Minglou Tower of Changling Mausoleum

• Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing
• Ming Ancestors Mausoleum in Jiangsu Province
• Eastern Qing tombs near Beijing
• Western Qing tombs near Beijing

The three imperial tombs north of the great wall

• Fuling Tomb east of Shenyang in Liaoning
• Zhao Mausoleum north of Shenyang in Liaoning
• Yongling Tombs east of Fushun in Liaoning

• Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties on the UNESCO World Heritage List