A Stone Lion in Mingxiaoling
Mingxiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing
The Exhibition Room in Mingxiaoling
The Mingxiaoling Mausoleum located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area of eastern Nanjing is the joint tomb of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) Zhu Yuanzhang and his empress Ma. The mausoleum was the first of an ancient epoch of Chinese imperial mausoleums, which influenced all those of later dynasties of the Ming and Qing (1644 - 1911). Mingxiaoling Mausoleum was listed as a world heritage site - Royal Mausoleum of Ming and Qing Dynasties - in 2003.
Withered by nature and wars, many wooden portions of the mausoleum were lost. However, all of the buildings remain where they were and the natural sights are not damaged. From the remains that still endure it is possible to glimpse its past resplendence. The attractions that can be seen within the area include Grand Gold Gate, Square City, Sacred Way, Tomb of Sun Quan (the king of Wu State during Three Kingdoms Period), Tablet Hall, Sacrificial Hall, Rectangular Citadel, Ming Tower, Treasure Top (the spot of the underground palace), Round Plum Blossom Mountain and Purple Clouds Lake.
The construction of the Mingxiaoling Mausoleum was begun in 1381 and completed in 1413. It cost a tremendous amount in manpower and material resources. The scale of it is said to be half of that of Nanjing City as it was then. In the mausoleum were planted 100 thousand pine trees and a thousand deer were carefully cared for. It is one of the largest mausoleums remaining in China now. The buildings are majestic on the whole and exquisite in the detail. Both the architectural and sculptural art of it represent the highest of that to be found during that time.
Tickets:
Entrance Fee: CNY 70 for adults; CNY 35 for kids between 1.2 - 1.5 m
Mini-train Fare: CNY 3 (free with the entrance ticket)
Sight-seeing Car Fare: CNY 10 per person
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00
Transportation:
a. Take Bus No. 20, 315 or Tour Bus No. 3 and get off at Mingxiaoling stop;
b. Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Mingxiaoling Muxuyuan station.
More Tourist Attractions in Nanjing:
Qinhuai River Yangtze River Bridge
Qixia Mountain Zijinshan Observatory
