Ming Tombs

The site known as the Ming Tombs is an area of land on the outskirts of Beijing, around 50km northwest of the city centre, where thirteen of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) emperors were buried. The thirteen mausoleums are very well preserved and provide much insight into ancient chinese tomb culture, and in 2003 were placed on the World Heritage List.

Carefully chosen according to the principles of Feng Shui, the site is reached by a 7 km road called the 'Spirit Way' which is lined with guardian statues and culminating in a huge stone gate. Inside, there are hundreds of remarkable statues and carvings, as well as the thirteen mausoleums, some of which are underground. So far, only three tombs are actually open to the public, although excavation and study is still ongoing. The best two are Changling and Ding Ling tombs.

The largest and most famous tomb, the Changling tomb, is the oldest and the final resting place of Emperor Zhudi, who founded the site. The mausoleum consists of a huge palace made of camphor wood, with the traditional yellow tiled roof, and well-preserved rich decoration.

The Ding Ling tomb was the underground mausoleum of the Wanli emperor (1572-1620) and his favourite concubine, and was exacvated in the 1950s. The large marble vault was originally filled with thousands of items deemed useful to the emperor in the afterlife, including silks, porcelain and weapons, as well as the two well-preserved coffins,and is the only fully-excavated tomb on the site.