Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing 南京明孝陵

Welcome, everyone — and welcome to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing. Ming Xiaoling is the joint burial site of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, and his empress, Empress Xiaoci. It sits at the southern foot of Purple Mountain, beneath the peak known as Dulongfu Wanzhu Feng. Construction began in 1381 and took thirty-two years to complete in full, covering an area of over 1.7 million square meters — making it one of the largest imperial mausoleums still standing in China. Today I'll be taking you along the very same ceremonial route that visitors followed six hundred years ago: Xiamafang, Dajin Gate, Sifang Cheng, Stone Elephant Road, Wengzhong Road, Lingxing Gate, Golden Water Bridge, Wenwu Fangmen, the Stele Hall, the Sacrificial Hall, Fangcheng Minglou, and finally Baoding — step by step into this UNESCO World Heritage Site, honored as "the foremost imperial mausoleum of the Ming and Qing era."

We're currently standing in Xiamafang Heritage Park — the very starting point of the ancient ceremonial approach to Ming Xiaoling. The area beneath your feet recreates the first checkpoint that all visitors to the mausoleum had to pass through in the Ming dynasty. "Xiamafang" literally means "the place to dismount" — no matter how high your rank, when you arrived at the emperor's tomb, you tied your horse here and continued the rest of the way on foot. That was the supreme gesture of reverence. From Xiamafang to Dajin Gate, there was originally a ceremonial road stretching 1.1 kilometers. In the park today you can see reconstructed structures including Guanyin Pavilion, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, and the garrison headquarters of the Xiaoling Guard — all helping us picture those court officials of six hundred years ago straightening their robes and composing themselves before approaching the tomb.

One thing worth knowing: the Ming Xiaoling Museum inside Xiamafang Heritage Park is free to enter. It features dedicated exhibitions on Zhu Yuanzhang's life and the history of the mausoleum's construction, as well as a 360-degree panoramic film — well worth a visit if you have time after the tour. As for the main mausoleum ticket: adult admission is 70 yuan per person, which includes Meihua Shan (Plum Blossom Hill). Students and visitors aged 60 to 69 pay half price at 35 yuan; those 70 and above and children under 6 enter free. Opening hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from February through November, and 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from December through January. Alright — let's follow the spirit road northward and head toward the outer gate of the mausoleum: Dajin Gate.

Here we are at Dajin Gate. Look up — this is the main gate of Ming Xiaoling's outer enclosure, the very first formal entrance into the tomb precinct six hundred years ago. You can see that despite centuries of weathering, the deep red walls and the carved sumeru stone base still carry an unmistakable sense of grandeur.

Do you know what the character "jin" — meaning "gold" — stands for in Dajin Gate? In the traditional Chinese cosmological system of Five Phases, "gold" (metal) corresponds to the west. The Ming dynasty's name "Ming" (bright) is associated with fire. And fire overcomes metal. So the name "Dajin Gate" is itself a symbolic declaration — the great Ming dynasty has triumphed over the preceding dynasty founded by the Mongols. The gate was originally covered in yellow glazed tiles, and both its height and width were designed to accommodate the passage of the imperial funeral cortege. When Zhu Yuanzhang died in 1398, his coffin was carried slowly through this very gate and along the spirit road we're about to walk, all the way to his resting place on Dulongfu peak.

About seventy meters north of Dajin Gate is Sifang Cheng. The stretch of road between them is lined with tall plane trees. In autumn especially, the golden leaves carpet the ground and sunlight filters through the branches in shifting patterns of light and shadow — that's the best time for photos around Dajin Gate. If you enjoy photography, try standing on the overpass near Dajin Gate and framing the tree-lined avenue together with the gate's red walls in a single shot. Let's keep moving.

We're now standing before a square-shaped structure — this is what Nanjing locals call Sifang Cheng, or "Square City." Its formal name is the "Stele Pavilion of the Great Ming Xiaoling's Divine Merit and Sacred Virtue." Take a look at its floor plan — perfectly square, with a doorway on each of the four sides. That's exactly how it got its popular name, which has stuck to this day. It was built in 1413, during the Yongle reign, by the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di in honor of his father Zhu Yuanzhang.

Step inside and have a look at the stele. This is the largest ancient stone stele surviving in the Nanjing region, and its inscription was composed personally by Zhu Di — 2,746 characters in total. Think about what that means: a son writing his father's epitaph, nearly three thousand characters long. What kind of feeling must that have been? The text traces the full arc of Zhu Yuanzhang's extraordinary life: from a boy who herded cattle, to a young man who became a Buddhist monk, to a rebel soldier who joined an uprising, fought his way to dominance over Central China, overthrew the Yuan dynasty, established his capital in Nanjing, and restored Han Chinese rule.

Notice one detail: the top of the stele is carved with nine dragons. In imperial China, the nine-dragon motif was reserved exclusively for the emperor — no prince or official could use it. The base is a giant stone bixi, a legendary creature said to be one of the nine sons of the dragon, renowned for its ability to bear enormous weight — which is why it was traditionally used to support stelae. In 2013, a protective roof was built over Sifang Cheng, ending its centuries of standing open to the elements. This stele was not only Zhu Di's tribute to his father — it was also a political statement, declaring the legitimacy of his reign to the whole empire. After the conflict known as the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Di needed exactly this kind of symbolic undertaking to consolidate his rule. Alright — now for what many consider the most iconic stretch of Ming Xiaoling: Stone Elephant Road.

Friends, the path beneath your feet right now is Stone Elephant Road — celebrated as "Nanjing's Most Beautiful 600 Meters." Personally, this is the section of Ming Xiaoling I find most awe-inspiring, the one that most rewards a slow, unhurried walk. The road stretches 615 meters, lined on both sides with six species of stone animals — lions, xiezhi, camels, elephants, qilin, and horses. There are two pairs of each species, one pair kneeling and one pair standing, twenty-four sculptures in all. Every single one was carved from a single piece of stone — and if you try to imagine how those blocks, some weighing several tons, were transported from the quarry to this spot six hundred years ago with no cranes and no trucks, it's genuinely staggering.

Let me walk you through the symbolism of each species in order, so you know what you're looking at when you take your photos:

• Lions come first, because the lion is the king of beasts — a symbol of imperial power and authority. They announce to every visitor: you are approaching the resting place of an emperor.
• Xiezhi come second. This is a mythical creature with a single horn on its head, known for its ability to tell right from wrong — and to charge at wrongdoers. Placed here, it represents the emperor's impartial judgment.
• Camels and elephants occupy the third and fourth positions. Neither is native to central China: camels came from the Silk Road regions to the west, and elephants from the tropical south. Placing them on the spirit road symbolized the vast reach of the Ming empire and the tribute of peoples from all directions — from the deserts of the west to the jungles of the south.
• Qilin come fifth — the legendary creature of benevolence, associated with a peaceful and prosperous age.
• Horses are last, as the emperor's most faithful companions in life, representing loyal companionship.

You've probably noticed that each species appears in two postures — kneeling and standing. The kneeling animals represent submission and reverence; the standing ones represent vigilance and protection. The alternating arrangement creates a rhythm of stillness and presence as you walk.

And here's a story that surprises most visitors. Imperial spirit roads in China are typically straight — the one at the Ming Tombs outside Beijing runs in a perfectly direct line. But Ming Xiaoling's road curves. Why? Because the road had to curve around the tomb of Sun Quan, the great emperor of the ancient kingdom of Wu from the Three Kingdoms period. When someone suggested relocating Sun Quan's tomb, Zhu Yuanzhang reportedly said: "Sun Quan was a fine man. Let him stay here and guard the gate for me." So the road bent. Even Zhu Yuanzhang, the man who founded an empire from nothing, showed respect for the great rulers who came before him.

A photography tip: Stone Elephant Road is most beautiful in autumn — late October to mid-November — when the ginkgo trees and maples turn gold and deep red against the grey stone animals. The best light is from 7 to 9 in the morning or 4 to 6 in the afternoon, when the sun is low and soft and the crowds are thinner. The way morning sunlight falls at an angle across the stone animals is especially striking. On we go — the next section is Wengzhong Road.

At the end of Stone Elephant Road, the spirit road curves north and continues as Wengzhong Road. What you see standing along either side now are stone human figures — two pairs of civil officials and two pairs of military generals. Each figure stands over three meters tall, upright and formally attired.

Look at the civil officials first — they wear the court headgear of the era, long wide-sleeved robes, and hold ceremonial tablets in both hands. Notice their expressions: composed and respectful, the very image of early Ming court decorum. Now look at the military generals — clad in full armor, long swords at their sides, gaze steady and resolute. You can make out every individual scale on their armor, every detail carved into the hilt of the sword. This level of craftsmanship represents the finest stone-carving art of the early Ming period.

The name "wengzhong" has its own story. Legend has it that during the Qin dynasty there was a giant general named Ruan Wengzhong, over four meters tall and of extraordinary strength. The First Emperor sent him to garrison the northwestern frontier, and the nomadic tribes reportedly fled at the mere sight of him. Over time, all stone human figures placed at imperial tombs came to be called "wengzhong."

At the far end of Wengzhong Road stand a pair of stone pillars reaching 6.6 meters, carved with swirling cloud-and-dragon patterns. They rise like two giant exclamation marks, signaling to every approaching visitor: the spirit road ends here. The heart of the tomb precinct lies just ahead.

After Wengzhong Road, we arrive at a stone gateway with three archways and six pillars — this is Lingxing Gate. "Lingxing" refers to a star associated with literature and the heavens. Ancient people believed that after death, the soul must pass through Lingxing Gate to ascend to the celestial realm. Think of it as the threshold between the world of the living and the sacred space of the tomb: to step through it is to cross from the ordinary into the holy. Perched on top of each pillar is a carved mythical beast facing skyward, said to guide souls on their journey upward.

Through Lingxing Gate, we come to a waterway crossing our path, spanned by five stone bridges set side by side — this is Golden Water Bridge, also known as the Five Dragon Bridge. These five bridges were anything but casually built. They follow a strict hierarchy according to Ming dynasty protocol:

• The widest bridge in the center is the Imperial Bridge, reserved for the emperor alone.
• The two bridges flanking it are the Prince Bridges, for accompanying princes and nobles.
• The two outermost bridges are the Rank Bridges, for civil and military officials of the first through third rank.

The five bridges also embody the five Confucian virtues — benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness — making this the most tangible spatial expression of Ming Xiaoling's ceremonial order. The waterway flowing beneath them is known as the Imperial River; it encircles the entire palace precinct and serves both as a natural boundary and as an auspicious feng shui element. As you cross, take a moment to look down at the stone carvings on the bridge surface — after more than six hundred years of flowing water, the auspicious clouds and lotus patterns are still clearly visible.

Across the Golden Water Bridge, we've formally entered the palace precinct. Look ahead — the red-walled, yellow-roofed gate with five bays is Wenwu Fangmen, the first main gate of Ming Xiaoling's inner compound.

Wenwu Fangmen suffered severe damage during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, and only one of the original five doorways survived. In 1998, heritage authorities rebuilt all five doorways and added the tiled roof, restoring the gate to the appearance we see today.

Notice the threshold of this gate — it stands a full 45 centimeters high. That height is not incidental. It creates a powerful sense of spatial transition: on the other side is the everyday world; step over this threshold and you enter the final domain where Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma rest in peace. The higher the threshold, the more sacred the space it guards — a deeply intentional principle of classical Chinese architecture.

Please take a moment to look at the stone stele set into the eastern wall beside the main gate. It was erected in 1909, the first year of the Xuantong reign, by local officials. Carved in careful block script, it displays a "Special Notice" in six languages: Japanese, German, Italian, English, French, and Russian — instructing foreign visitors to respect the mausoleum and refrain from loud behavior or graffiti. Stop and think about that: over a hundred years ago, people here were already protecting their cultural heritage in six foreign languages. This stele is a remarkably early witness to the awakening of global heritage conservation consciousness. Now, through this gate — the heart of the mausoleum awaits. Next up: a hall with a particularly compelling story, the Stele Hall.

Through Wenwu Fangmen, we arrive at the Stele Hall. Five stone stelae stand inside, but today the one I want to focus on is the central one — the "Zhilong Tang Song" stele, inscribed by the Kangxi Emperor when he came to pay his respects during his third imperial tour south in 1699.

The four characters "zhilong tang song" carry a sweeping claim: that Zhu Yuanzhang's governance was more flourishing than that of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty and Emperor Taizu of the Song. And this was not flattery from within the Ming family — it was a Manchu emperor's tribute to the founding Han emperor of a dynasty that had come before his own, more than three hundred years later.

The story behind this is worth telling. Kangxi made six imperial tours south during his reign, and every time his route passed through Nanjing, he came to Ming Xiaoling to pay homage. He performed the full ceremony of three kneels and nine prostrations — the highest ritual of respect, the kind a subject shows an emperor. Even the officials accompanying him were baffled: why would a reigning emperor bow so deeply before the tomb of a ruler from a previous dynasty?

Kangxi's reasoning was, in fact, brilliantly calculated. Anti-Qing sentiment remained strong in the Jiangnan region in the early Qing period. By making this gesture, Kangxi sent a clear message to the Han literati of the south: I honor your former dynasty, I respect your culture, I recognize Zhu Yuanzhang's greatness — so what reason do you have to resist? That single act of kneeling helped secure two centuries of stable Qing rule over the south.

The "Zhilong Tang Song" stele was commissioned under the supervision of Cao Yin, the textile commissioner of Jiangling — yes, the grandfather of Cao Xueqin, the author of Dream of the Red Chamber. On the back of the stele is a passage recording Kangxi's visit to Jiangling's textile commission office during his southern tour.

A practical note for photographers: the Stele Hall is quite dim inside. Please switch off your flash — it can damage the stone surfaces. Alright, let's move on to the most important ceremonial site in the entire mausoleum: the Sacrificial Hall ruins.

Friends, we're now standing at the site of Ming Xiaoling's most important ceremonial building — the Xiang Dian, or Sacrificial Hall. Standing here, you might feel as though something is missing — no hall, no statues, just a wide expanse of bare stone platform. But it's precisely this emptiness that hits you hardest.

In the Ming dynasty, the Xiang Dian was where the great sacrificial rites were performed. It was nine bays wide and five bays deep — the "nine-five" imperial configuration representing the Son of Heaven. On the Qingming Festival, the winter solstice, and the anniversary of Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the court sent imperial envoys here to conduct elaborate ceremonies: incense smoke curling upward, bells and drums resounding across the precinct.

The hall was tragically destroyed by fire during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period. What we see today — a three-tiered sumeru stone platform and fifty-six massive stone column bases — is the most eloquent testimony to the hall's original scale. Look closely at how these column bases are arranged — they are not placed at random. They follow a specific imperial numerical pattern: corner bases at the four angles, front and rear caves bases, side wall bases — a configuration found only in the highest-ranking Ming imperial buildings. Crouch down and examine the carving on a column base: the lotus petal patterns remain crisp and sharp after six hundred years.

Here's a comparison that puts it in perspective: the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing — the emperor's throne room — is eleven bays wide. The Xiang Dian was nine bays. Only two bays narrower than the greatest throne room in China. That tells you everything about how seriously Zhu Yuanzhang planned his final resting place.

On the eastern side of the ruins, a smaller hall rebuilt during the Qing dynasty survives, housing a portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang. On the south side of the ruins, there is also an ancient ginkgo tree over six hundred years old. In autumn, when its leaves turn entirely gold, it frames perfectly with Fangcheng Minglou in the background — one of the most classic photographic compositions in all of Ming Xiaoling. Let's keep going — ahead stands the building that stops every visitor in their tracks: Fangcheng Minglou.

Friends, the towering structure before you is the defining landmark of Ming Xiaoling — Fangcheng Minglou, the Square Bastion and Bright Tower. This design was Zhu Yuanzhang's own invention. No Chinese imperial mausoleum before his had anything like it. And every emperor who came after — throughout both the Ming and Qing dynasties — replicated this exact form when building their own tombs. The Ming Tombs outside Beijing, the Eastern Qing Tombs, the Western Qing Tombs — all followed the template set here.

The square bastion (Fangcheng) stands sixteen meters tall and stretches seventy-five meters from east to west, built entirely from massive cut-stone blocks, each one potentially weighing several tons. Looking at it straight on, you'll see a vaulted archway in the center — inscribed with "Ming Xiaoling," characters added during the Republican period.

Now let's walk into that vaulted tunnel — this is one of Ming Xiaoling's most memorable experiences. When you reach the center of the tunnel, stop and stamp your foot firmly on the ground. Hear that? — that long, reverberant echo. Folk tradition says it lasts seven seconds. The story goes that this echo proves the underground palace beneath is perfectly intact — no collapse, no water damage — sealed and waiting through the centuries, just as it was when it was built.

At the far end of the tunnel, stone steps rise on both sides. Climb them and you reach the Bright Tower (Minglou) at the top — the highest point in all of Ming Xiaoling. From up here, the entire precinct opens up below you: the spirit road winds in from the south like a great serpent, the stone animals and stone figures stretching out in faithful ranks on either side; the Golden Water Bridge lies like a jade belt across the middle distance; the red walls and yellow roof of Wenwu Fangmen glow in the foreground; the sacrificial hall platform rests quietly among the pines. This is classical China's vision of harmony between heaven and humankind, laid out in stone and earth below your feet. It's said that when Zhu Yuanzhang stood on Dulongfu peak to choose the site for his tomb, what he saw was something very much like this view.

The Minglou's original roof was burned during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, leaving only its four walls standing — like a battle-scarred general who refused to fall. In 2009, a protective roof structure was added. A photography tip: stand at the corner tower on the eastern side of the Minglou and try to get Fangcheng, Golden Water Bridge, Wenwu Fangmen, and the ridgeline of Purple Mountain all into the same frame — the depth of that composition is extraordinary. Alright — directly to the north lies where Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma have rested for over six hundred years: Baoding.

Friends, we've traveled the full length of this journey — from Xiamafang all the way through Dajin Gate, Sifang Cheng, Stone Elephant Road, Wengzhong Road, Lingxing Gate, Golden Water Bridge, Wenwu Fangmen, the Stele Hall, the Sacrificial Hall ruins, Fangcheng Minglou, and finally to Baoding. This path was both the "last journey" arranged by a legendary emperor for himself six hundred years ago, and the most glorious chapter in the entire history of Chinese imperial tomb architecture.

Ming Xiaoling left three things to the world:

First, a system. The layout of "front court, rear burial," "front square, rear round," and "square bastion with bright tower atop a burial mound" became the standard template for imperial mausolea across more than five hundred years of Ming and Qing dynasties. You can see Ming Xiaoling's influence in the Ming Tombs outside Beijing, the Eastern Qing Tombs in Hebei, and the Western Qing Tombs. That is what earns it the title "foremost imperial mausoleum of the Ming and Qing era."

Second, a legend. Zhu Yuanzhang is the only emperor in Chinese history who truly rose from the very bottom of society — from a background even humbler than Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty. From a boy with nothing, tending cattle, to the man who built a dynasty that lasted 276 years: that extreme reversal of fate gives his tomb a narrative power that no other mausoleum can quite match.

Third, a spirit. Ming Xiaoling is not just a collection of old stones. It is the crystallization of the classical Chinese cosmological ideal of harmony between heaven and humankind, Confucian ceremonial thought, traditional geomancy, and extraordinary architectural skill. When it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2003, UNESCO described it as representing the highest achievement of imperial mausoleum architecture in Chinese feudal history.

I'd like to leave you with a line I've always found resonant: "The stone animals stand in silence; the spirit road stretches on. Six hundred years of wind and rain have worn the surface — but not the boundless ambition with which a dynasty began." Thank you all. If you have time to spare, the site also includes Meihua Shan, the Ming Eastern Tomb, and Zixia Lake — all well worth exploring at your own pace.