Standing in the Spirit Way at the Ming Tombs looking back towards the entry gate.

The Ming Dynasty Tombs (Chinese: 明朝十三陵; pinyin: Míng cháo shí sān líng; lit. Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty) are located some 50 kilometers due North of Beijing at an especially selected site. The site was chosen by the third Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle (1402 - 1424), who moved the Capital City of China from Nanjing to the present location of Beijing. He is credited with envisioning the layout of the ancient city of Beijing as well as a number of landmarks and monuments located therein. After the construction of the Imperial Palace (the Forbidden City) in 1420, the Yongle Emperor selected his burial site and creating his own mausoleum. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 60 KB)Standing in the Spirit Way at the Ming Tombs looking back towards the entry gate. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 60 KB)Standing in the Spirit Way at the Ming Tombs looking back towards the entry gate. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit. ... (help· info) (IPA peiË© tɕɪŋ˦), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The Míng Dynasty (Chinese: 明朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360–August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. ... Numerous cities have been the capital of China during the course of history. ... Nanjing (Chinese: 南京; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Nan-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Nanking), is the capital of Chinas Jiangsu Province and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. ... Overview of the Forbidden City The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: 紫禁城; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Purple Forbidden City), located at the exact center of the ancient city of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing dynasties. ... Events May 21 - Treaty of Troyes. ... St. ...

From the Yongle Emperor onwards, 13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this area. The tombs of the first two Ming Emperors are located near Nanjing (the capital city during their reigns). Emperor Jingtai was also not buried here as the Emperor Tianshun had denied Jingtai an imperial burial but was instead buried west of Beijing. The last Emperor Chongzhen who hung himself in April, 1644 was the last to be buried here, named Si Ling by the Qing emperor but on a much smaller scale than his predecessors. Zhu Qizhen (November 29, 1427–February 23, 1464) was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. ... (help· info) (IPA peiË© tɕɪŋ˦), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Chongzhen Emperor (WG: Chung-chen) (1611 - 1644) was last emperor of Ming dynasty in China between 1627 and 1644. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ...

Statue in the Ming Tombs grounds

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (768x1024, 160 KB) Summary Statue on the way of souls towards the Ming tombs near Beijing. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (768x1024, 160 KB) Summary Statue on the way of souls towards the Ming tombs near Beijing. ...

Layout

The site of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui (geomancy) principles. According to these, bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North must be deflected; therefore, an arc-shaped area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of Beijing was selected. This 40 square kilometer area - enclosed by the mountains in a pristine, quiet valley full of dark earth, tranquil water and other necessities as per Feng Shui - would become the necropolis of the Ming Dynasty. Fēng Shuǐ (風水 – literally, wind and water pronounced fung shuway), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. ... Geomancy (from Old French geomancie <Late Latin geōmantia <Late Greek geōmanteia< geo, earth + manteia, divination) from the eponymous ilm al-raml (the science of sand), is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground, or how handfuls of dirt land when you toss them. ... A necropolis (plural: necropolises or necropoleis) is a cemetery or burying-place, literally a city of the dead. Apart from the occasional application of the word to modern cemeteries outside large towns, the term is chiefly used of burial grounds near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations. ...

The entire tomb site is surrounded by a wall, and a seven kilometer road named the "Spirit Way" leads into the complex which is one of the finest preserved pieces of 15th century Chinese art and architecture. The front gate of the complex is a large, three-arched gateway, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate". (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Chinese art is art that, whether modern or ancient, originated in or is practiced in China or by Chinese artists or performers. ... The Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) grounds in Beijing Shanghais Longhua Temple inner courtyard. ...

At present, three tombs have been excavated: Chang Ling, the Largest; Ding Ling, whose underground palace is open to the public; and Shao Ling. There have been no excavations since 1989, but plans for new archeological research and further opening of tombs have circulated.

The Ming Tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003. They were listed along with other tombs under the "Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" designation. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ... August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is the designation under which the UNESCO has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Sites. ...

More Images

Dingling tomb (One of the 13 Ming dynasty Tombs). Image File history File links Dingling. ...

Traditional Chinese architecture inside the Ming Tombs. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 238 KB) Ming tombs near Beijing. ...

Gate inside the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 to 1644). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 935 KB) Summary author : ofol date 29-12-2005 voie des âmes, Changping, région de pékin ways of souls tombs of the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 to 1644). ...

Statue inside the Ming Dynasty Tombs Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 1018 KB) Summary author : ofol date 29-12-2005 voie des âmes, Changping, région de pékin ways of souls tombs of the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 to 1644). ...

See also

• Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, in Nanjing

The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum lies at the northern foot of Purple Mountain (紫金山, Pinyin: Zĭjīn Shān, Purple-Golden Mountain) in Nanjing, China. ... Nanjing (Chinese: 南京; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Nan-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Nanking), is the capital of Chinas Jiangsu Province and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ming Dynasty Tombs

• Shisan Ling Ming Tombs Introduction
• The Ming Tombs Online Sources - A Bibliography
• Introduction to The Forbidden City by Emperor Yongle
• Chong Zhen's Story at the Jingshan Park :
• Nearby Badaling Great Wall of China
• Geomancy Net