Ming tombs 明十三陵

About Ming tombs

The Sacred Way introduces the ceremonial landscape through stone animals and officials. Changling emphasizes monumental timber architecture, especially its Ling'en Hall, while Dingling offers the unusual chance to see an excavated imperial underground palace. These are dispersed sites rather than rooms within one complex. Additional tombs have opened under guided or reservation arrangements, so choose the specific compounds you want instead of relying on older descriptions that only a few can ever be visited.

The complex originated with the Yongle Emperor's Changling (长陵), built from 1409 to 1413 on a site he chose and named Tianshou Shan; he died in 1424 and was buried there, though Changling was not completed until 1427. Only thirteen of the Ming dynasty's sixteen emperors were buried here: the founding Hongwu Emperor was buried at Nanjing, the Jianwen Emperor disappeared without a tomb, and the Jingtai Emperor was buried separately west of Beijing before his tomb was later enlarged. Changling, the Jiajing Emperor's Yongling (永陵) and the Wanli Emperor's Dingling (定陵) were built during their occupants' lifetimes and are the largest; others were begun only after death.

The tomb complex occupies a basin below Tianshou Shan, part of the Taihang mountain range, which connects west to Juyongguan pass and north to Huanghua town and forms a protective screen north of Changping and the capital. Considering the site auspicious by feng shui, the Ming planted the area mainly with pine and cypress trees.

The tombs were designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 1961 and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003, together with the Qing Eastern and Western Tombs. Today Changling, Dingling, Zhaoling (昭陵), Kangling (康陵) and the Sacred Way are open to visitors; the other tombs remain closed.

What to look for

• The Sacred Way's procession of carved stone animals and human figures.
• Changling's Ling'en Hall, noted for its large timber columns and ceremonial scale.
• Dingling's excavated underground palace, associated with the Wanli Emperor and two empresses.

Location & getting there

Getting to Ming tombs

Use Shisanling Town in Changping as the area anchor, then set navigation to the specific Sacred Way or tomb entrance.

• Allow road transfers between compounds. The similarly named subway station is not an entrance to all thirteen tombs.