MING TOMBS, Dingling
- Audio File length: 2.33
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Language: English / USA
The Dingling Tomb is the mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Yijun, who reigned from 1563 to 1620, and of two of his empresses, Xiaoduan and Xiaojing. Built in six years, between 1584 and 1590, it covers an area of 180,000 square meters. It is designed like the Forbidden City, with a square front part and a semi-circular part at the rear.
Three white marble bridges take you to the entrance, where you’ll find a stele on top of a tortoise, engraved with the conquests of the emperor.
The mausoleum is surrounded by a wall embellished with tiles, eaves, beams and yellow glazed columns carved into stone and painted in vibrant colors.
On the inside are three courtyards. There are no buildings of particular interest to point out in the first one but you can admire the gate of the second courtyard. Its base is embellished with railings decorated with dragon and phoenix heads in stone.
The Blessing and Grace Palace, in the third courtyard, was used for sacrifices. Take a moment to look at the stone pathway running through the center of the courtyard, engraved with a dragon and a phoenix playing with a pearl....