Nanjing Attractions Ming Xiaoling MausoleumNanjing Attractions,Nanjing Popular Tourists Attractions Guide
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is situated on the southern slope of Purple Mountain. Work on the tombs began even before the Emperor, Hong Wu (founder of the Ming dynasty), died in 1398.
The tombs here are some of the largest Ming Tombs in China and the only Ming Tombs located outside Beijing. Hundreds of small stone statues still guard the Eemperor's tomb today, although much of the original site has been destroyed.
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the mausoleum of the first Ming Dynasty emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. It is one of the largest imperial mausoleums existing in China, as a historical monument put under state protection. From the "Officials and Others Dismount Here" Tablet in the front, to the Square Walls at the back, it is 2.62 kilometers. Records note the red wall of the mausoleum at 22.5 kilometers in circumference. The perimeter of the red wall was two-thirds that of the wall at that time. Although no wooden structures were found existent over the last six hundred years, one still has some idea of the mausoleum built on a large scale. Xiaoling has its layout and architecture the same as those of the Ming Tombs on the outskirts of Beijing, but on a much greater scale than the latter. This speaks of the fact that all Ming Dynasty imperial tombs were modeled after the former.
Walking northwestward from Square Walls, there is an imperial bridge, beyond which is the spirit path lined with twenty-four stone animals and eight stone human figures along both sides. From east to west, the procession starts with four lions (two on each side), four xiezhai (mythical beasts), four camels, four elephants, four qilin (Chinese unicorn) and four horses. In each group one pair is standing, the other kneeling.
As the spirit path turns northward there is a pair of ornamental stone pillars, two pairs of stone military officials, and two pairs of stone civil officials.
In each group of stone figures, one pair is of young officials and the other is of older ones. The military officials wear helmets and hold ceremonial clubs and swords at their waists. The civil officials wear court caps and hold tablets. These stone carvings have the artistic characteristics of the early Ming Dynasty. They are rare art treasures.
