Ming tombs
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UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Beijing and Nanjing, China |
Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
Reference | 1004 |
Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
Extensions | 2003; 2004 |
Website | http://www.mingtombs.com/ |
Coordinates | 40°15′12″N 116°13′3″E / 40.25333°N 116.21750°E |
The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the
From the Yongle Emperor onwards, thirteen Ming emperors were buried in the same area. The
During the Ming dynasty, the tombs were off limits to commoners, but in 1644 Li Zicheng's army ransacked and burned many of the tombs before advancing to and subsequently capturing Beijing in April of that year.
In 1725, the Yongzheng Emperor bestowed the hereditary title of marquis on a descendant of the Ming imperial family, Zhu Zhilian, who received a salary from the Qing government and whose duty was to perform rituals at the Ming tombs. He was posthumously promoted to Marquis of Extended Grace in 1750 by the Qianlong Emperor, and the title passed on through twelve generations of Ming descendants until the end of the Qing dynasty.
Presently, the Ming tombs are designated as one of the components of the World Heritage Site, the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which also includes a number of other locations near Beijing and in Nanjing, Hebei, Hubei, Liaoning province.
Layout
The siting of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs was carefully chosen according to
A 7-kilometer (4 mi) road named the "
Further in, the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion can be seen; inside, there is a 50-ton stone statue of a
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);
- Dingling, whose underground palace has been excavated (40°17′42.43″N 116°12′58.53″E / 40.2951194°N 116.2162583°E); 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.
List of the Imperial Tombs
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.
Images
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An entrance to a Ming tomb
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Ling'en Hall of Changling Mausoleum
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Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion at the beginning of the sacred walk leading to the tombs
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A statue inside the Ming tombs
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A statue inside the Ming tombs
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Ling'en Gate of Changling Mausoleum
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A silk burning stove at the Changling Mausoleum
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Minglou Tower of Changling Mausoleum
See also
- Ming Xiaoling Mausoleumin Nanjing
- Ming Ancestors Mausoleum in Jiangsu Province
- Eastern Qing tombsnear Beijing
- Western Qing tombsnear Beijing
- The three imperial tombs north of the great wall
- Fuling Tombeast of Shenyang in Liaoning
- Zhao Mausoleum north of Shenyang in Liaoning
- Yongling Tombs east of Fushun in Liaoning
References
External links
- Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties on the UNESCO World Heritage List