Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum lies at the foot of Purple Mountain in Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, and is the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor who founded the Ming dynasty in 1368. Construction began in 1381 and the complex was inscribed by UNESCO in 2003 as part of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It set the layout later followed at the Ming tombs near Beijing. Visitors enter through the Dahongmen (Great Red Gate) and walk the Sacred Way, a long avenue lined with paired stone animals including lions, camels, elephants and horses, followed by military and civil officials carved in stone. The route bends around a small hill, a detail traditionally explained by the tomb's siting relative to the Plum Blossom Hill. Beyond the Sacred Way the path continues through the Golden Water Bridge, the Wenwu Gate, and the ruined Sacrificial Hall with its stone foundations and surviving walls, then climbs to the Sifang City tower and the great earth mound that covers the burial chamber. The ground is not excavated and the emperor's tomb remains sealed. The grounds are wooded and quiet, with ginkgo and maple trees that turn colour in late October and November, and plum blossom in early spring. Visitors should allow two to three hours, since the total walking distance is considerable, and electric carts or bicycles are sometimes available for hire within the park. Early morning is the best time for atmosphere and photographs of the stone figures with mist in the trees, while weekends and holidays bring tour groups. It pairs naturally with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Linggu Temple area in the same Zhongshan Scenic Area, which can fill a full day. Explanatory signs are provided in Chinese and English at main points, and guides can be arranged at the entrance.