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13 emperors’ burial sites ‘masterpieces’
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Besides Tian’anmen Square, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, another must-see for tourists in Beijing today is definitely the Ming Tombs, also known as the Ming Dynasty Tombs or in Chinese, Shisanling (literally, The Thirteen Mausoleums).
Located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain and about 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Beijing, this is the burial site of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Also, there are tombs of 23 empresses, two princes, more than 30 concubines and one eunuch of the dynasty.
Covering an area of more than 120 square kilometers, this imperial burial site was chosen by Emperor Yongle (1360-1424), the third Ming emperor, who moved the capital from Nanjing (now capital of Jiangsu Province in east China) to Beijing in 1421, according to Chinese fengshui principles.
Of the 16 rulers of the Ming Dynasty, 13 were buried here. Of the other three, the first emperor was buried in Nanjing, the original capital of the dynasty; the second emperor disappeared without a trace after he was overthrown, and the seventh emperor was later denied an imperial tomb at the site because he was deemed an “emperor pro tem.”
The Ming Tombs are widely considered a masterpiece and the best example of the traditional Chinese imperial mausoleums, which are known for their perfect combination of fine architecture and beautiful scenery.
The site is dotted with numerous grandiose buildings on the surface, and underneath, there are large and well-designed tombs. Each of the 13 imperial mausoleums, from 0.5 to 8 kilometers apart, forms an independent unit. But as a group, they constitute a harmonious complex featuring buildings of traditional architectural design and decoration.
Of the 13 imperial tombs in the complex, the Chang Mausoleum, the tomb of Emperor Yongle, is the largest and oldest. Situated on the southern slope of the main peak of Tianshou Mountain, its architecture covers a total area of 120,000 square meters and features traditional imperial buildings.
The Ding Mausoleum, or the tomb of Emperor Wanli (1563-1620) or the 13th ruler of the Ming Dynasty, is the third-largest in the complex and also the only one that has ever been excavated.
The excavation started in the spring of 1956 and was completed two years later. Archeologists found that the underground palace was about two stories tall and 80 meters long, housing three large coffins, one for Emperor Wanli and two for his two empresses.
Also, the excavators had unearthed more than 3,000 artifacts made of silk, gold, silver, jade, porcelain and rare wood. Among them, there was a dragon crown elaborately knitted with fine gold threads and a phoenix coronet embedded with precious stones.
Unfortunately, due to lack of adequate technology, many of the excavated relics, such as silk and textile items, quickly deteriorated and decomposed after being exposed to air. This is perhaps the reason that China stopped excavating imperial tombs.
In addition to the mausoleums and tombs, there is a 7-kilometer-long “spirit road” that leads from south to north into the complex. It is the longest of its kind built in Chinese imperial mausoleums. It is also lined on both sides with giant stone statues of real and imaginary animals and officials.
At the southern tip of the entrance towers a freestanding marble gateway with five openings. Built in 1540 and decorated with intricate carvings, it is believed to be the most magnificent of its kind ever built in ancient China.
In 2003, the Ming Tombs and tombs of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “The harmonious integration of remarkable architectural groups in a natural environment chosen to meet the criteria of geomancy (Fengshui) makes the Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs masterpieces of human creative genius,” the organization said.
牌坊 (paifang) Freestanding Gateway
Paifang, also called Pailou, is a freestanding gateway used in ancient China to dignify an entrance or serve as a monument to extol distinguished individuals. Such gateways, usually built of stone, marble, glazed terra-cotta, wood or sometimes metal, could be quite high. They usually are landmarks. The gateways could have one, three or five openings, depending on how wide an entrance they span. On top, they may have one or multiple-level eaves. Pillars and beams are usually decorated with carvings.
Built in 1540, the marble paifang at the entrance of the Ming Tombs in Beijing is widely deemed as one of the most monumental of its type. The oldest existing stone paifang is perhaps one in Ningbo in east China’s Zhejiang Province, believed to be from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
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