MING TOMBS, Spirit Way Introduction

Hi, my name’s Jill, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: the Ming Tombs, the final resting place of 13 emperors from the Ming dynasty and their consorts.

When Zhu Di, or Yongle, the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, moved the capital to Beijing, he looked for a site near the city to build his own tomb. Basing his choice on the principles of Feng Shui, he opted for the valley at the foot of Mount Tianhou, because he was convinced that the mountains would keep away evil spirits and the evil winds blowing down from the north. So, he had his mausoleum built in Changling, and in the following 230 years, another twelve Ming emperors followed suit.

These 13 magnificent tombs are spread out over 40 square kilometers on either side of the Changling Tomb, arranged in the shape of a fan, with the exception of the Siling tomb, built away from the others.

Only the Changling, Dingling and Zhaoling tombs are open to the public....