Located at the foot of the Tianshou
Mountain in Changping District, Beijing, the Ming
Mausoleums, occupying an area of 120 square kilometers,
are well preserved and have the biggest number of
emperors buried in the world.
Built in the seventh year of the
Ming Emperor Yongle's reign (1409), Changling Tomb
of Emperor Chengzu (Zhudi) is the first one among
the Ming Mausoleums. It is located in front of the
main peak of the Tianshou Mountain, while the other
eleven mausoleums built in the Ming Dynasty, including
Xianling, Jingling, Yuling, Maoling, Tailing, Kanling,
Yongling, Zhaoling, Dingling, Qingling and Deling
are founded at the two sides of the Changling Tomb.
Lying at the southwestern corner of the mausoleum
area, Siling Tomb of Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian)
is the last-built one among the mausoleums, which
was transformed from an imperial concubine's
tomb. Siling Tomb was denominated in the first year
of Emperor Shunzhi' reign
(1644) in the Qing Dynasty(1666-1911) and
the above-ground buildings were added then. Other
affiliated buildings are: seven tombs of the imperial
concubine, one eunuch tomb, an Imperial Garden and
Traveling Palace in the Ming Dynasty. There used
to be ten Pass Towns around the Ming Tombs.
Because part of the buildings
within the mausoleum area were destroyed in war in
the transition period of the Ming and the Qing dynasties,
and such situation went on with more other buildings
later, the Qing government renovated the main buildings
on a larger scale in 1785-1787. Peking government
of the Republic of China (1912-1949)also
repaired the Great Wall nearby in 1935. After the
establishment of the People's
Republic of China, greater measures have been taken
to intensify the repair working on seven tombs of
Changling, Xianling, Jingling, Yongling, Zhaoling,
Dingling and Siling and the Sacred Way. The underground
palace of Dingling Tomb was excavated successfully
in 1956-1957.
In 1961, the Ming Tombs were proclaimed
as the important cultural relics under state protection.
At present, three mausoleums, Changling, Dingling
and Zhaoling, and the Sacred Way are open to the
public as scenic spots. |
