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It is a common practice for many foreign tourists to take a detour to
visit the Ming Tombs after visiting the Great Wall of China at Badaling
or Juyongguan. In factor, the tourists are usually taken directly to the
Dingling, the resting place of
 one
of the most insipid Chinese rulers, the Wanli Emperor. Unfortunately,
going directly to the Dingling may not be an good idea, as you will miss
an important ant attraction, the Spirit Way or Sacred Way lined by the
guardian statues of twenty four different animals and twelve officials.
The Ming Tombs, covering a hilly area of 40 acres, was selected in 1409.
In 1424, the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, was the first Ming Emperor
to be buried here in his mausoleum called the Changling. He was the third
Ming Emperor. His father and founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang,
was buried in Nanjing, and his nephew, the second Ming Emperor, from whom
he usurped the throne, escaped and disappeared from the history.
All together thirteen of sixteen Ming Emperors were buried in this royal
necropolis, accompanied by many Empresses and many concubines, some even
buried alive. The practice of entombing live imperial concubines
had not abolished until the reign of the Zhengtong Emperor (1436-1449).
The last Emperor to be entombed here was the Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian.
His mausoleum is called Siling. This last Ming Emperor hanged himself
in 1644 at Coal Hill just
outside the Forbidden City when Beijing fell to the rebel army of Li Zicheng.
However, the succeeding Qing conquerors, under Chinese imperial protocol,
still gave the last Ming Emperor a decent burial. Among the remaining
three missing Emperors, the founder of the Ming Dynasty was buried in
Nanjing, the second Emperor vanished when the Yongle Emperor usurped the
throne, and the seventh Ming emperor insisted on being buried in Jinshan
closer to Beijing.
 Only
one tomb, the Dingling, has its tumulus or underground chamber opened.
Chinese archaeologists are excited about opening the Changling tumulus
housing the powerful Yongle Emperor and possibly containing the remaining
copy of the Great Dictionary of Yongle.
Following the traditional Imperial tomb layout, the Ming Tombs were designed
with considerations of the following eight components, all of which have
now become major "what to see" items for the tourists who are touring
the Ming Tombs as an attraction.
1. Stone Memorial Arch, the central way only for the deceased Emperor
2. The Great Red Gate, where everyone, including the Emperor, must dismount
3. The Stele Pavilion with 7 meter high engraved stone column. i.e., "huabiao"
in Chinese
4. The Spirit way, lined on either or both sides by a series of large
statues of animals and officers
5. The Gate of Dragon and Phoenix, often being called "Gate on the
Threshold of Stars"
6. The Soul Pavilion, with a marble tortoise carrying a stele on its back
7. The Tumulus or underground chamber that holds the Emperor’s remains
8. Sacrificial halls for sacrifices.
Dingling Tomb
Dingling, meaning the Tomb of Certainty in translation, is the only Ming
Tomb that has been excavated. This is the resting place of the thirteenth
Ming ruler, the useless Wanli Emperor, Zhu Yijun, whose claim to fame
was his long life. He left matters of state to corrupt officials and allowed
the country to sink into malaise and general suffering. He ascended the
throne at the age of ten years and ruled for forty eight years. When the
Dingling was completed in 1581 after six years of construction and thirty-eight
years before his death, he held a grand feast to celebrate his future
interment. A visitor will be surprised to see the Wanli Emperor resting
with the coffins of two Empresses, one on each side. The Emperor was actually
buried in 1619 with Empress Xiaoduan who preceded his death by a few months.
However, his only son was by a concubine, Xiaojing, who died eight years
earlier and was buried in a concubine grave. The concubine was elevated
to Empress status by her grandson and thus re-buried with the Emperor
Wanli. The discovery of the entrance to the 27 meter deep
 underground
chamber is interesting. A small tablet was unearthed in the vicinity and
the Chinese characters indicated a site and a depth. Archaeologists on
following the instructions discovered a doorway to Dingling and started
evacuation in 1956. Within two years the excavation was completed and
the tomb was found to have jewelry and artifacts including jade belts,
golden chopsticks and a crown worn by the Wanli Emperor himself. The underground
chamber is made up of five marbled halls, a central hall surrounded by
four other halls, the atmosphere being somewhat cold and damp.
Changling Tomb
Changling, the biggest mausoleum, was built for the Yongle Emperor, Zhu
Di, and took 18 years to complete. Zhu Di was the Emperor who built the
Forbidden City, commissioned the Great Dictionary of Yongle (Yongle Dadian)
and sent the eunuch Admiral Cheng He to South-East Asia, Ceylon, India,
Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Changling is surrounded by sixteen satellite
tombs for Zhu Di’s concubines, and the tumulus has not yet been excavated.
The ground structure opened to the public is a miniature Forbidden City,
with an impressive Hall of Eminent Favors (LingEn Dian) of marbled floor
and thirty-two sandalwood columns. The hall now serves as a museum for
the precious artifacts found in the imperial coffins and twenty-three
wooden chests in Dingling. The stone stele bears the inscriptions of the
Ming Dynasty Renzong Emperor (Zhu Gaozhi) and Qing rulers, the Qianlong
and the Jiaqing Emperors.
Zhaoling Tomb
The Zhaoling Tomb was for the 12th Ming Longqing Emperor, Zhu Daicheng,
and his three Empresses. His reign lasted only six years (1566 to 1572).
It is not of much significance except that it is the first Ming mausoleum
that is to be fully restored to its original configurations and settings.
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Dynasty
emperor Yongle, who moved the capital of China from Nanjing to the present
location of northwest Beijing. The Ming tombs of the thirteen emperors
were located on the southern slope of Mount Taishou. He is credited with
envisioning the layout of the ancient city of Beijing and many landmarks
located therein. After construction of the Imperial Palace i.e., the Forbidden
City in 1420, the Yongle selected his burial site and creating his own
mausoleum. 
these,
bad spirits and evil winds descending from the north must be deflected.
Therefore, an arc-shaped area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of
Beijing was selected. This 40 square kilometer 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.
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