The Ming Tombs is the royal cemetery of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty after the capital was moved to Beijing. The tombs lie at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in Changping District, about 50 kilometers from the urban area. They cover an area of about 120 square kilometers. The area includes the mausoleums of thirteen emperors from Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), being the world’s best preserved mausoleum with the most emperors buried.

The site was chosen based on the principles of Fengshui (geomancy) by the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yongle Emperor. After the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420, Yongle selected his burial site and created his own mausoleum. The subsequent emperors placed their tombs on the same valley. The whole process from the site selection to the designing of the tombs paid attention to harmony between tomb architecture and the surrounding mountains, rivers and vegetation.

Of the 13 tombs, Dingling, the tomb of Wanli Emperor (reign 1572-1620), was under archaeological excavation in 1956, and all other tomb architecture has remained intact. The Sacred Way (Shendao) in front of each tomb as well as other main architectures including the marble memorial archway, the Great Red Gate (Dahongmen), a tall square stele pavilion, Avenue of the Animals, and Dragon and Phoenix Gate (Longfengmen) are still in perfect condition. Lots of pines and cypress planted during the Ming Dynasty inside and outside the tomb complexes and flanking the Sacred Way still grow.

As representatives of ancient Chinese imperial mausoleums, they reflect the richness of traditional Chinese culture, with very high historical and cultural value. Entirely forbidden in the past, they are now a tourist attraction famous at home and abroad. Currently four spots are officially open to the public, namely the Dingling, the Changling, the Zhaoling and the passages to the tombs.

The Ming Tombs were inscribed as one of the constituents of the World Heritage Site, the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties in 2003, which also includes a number of other locations near Beijing and in Liaoning province.

Address: The Ming Tombs Special Area, Changling Town, Changping District, Beijing

Opening hours: 8:00-17:30 (Peak Season), 8:30-17:00 (Off-season)

Admission:

Peak Season:

Dingling 60 RMB/person

Changling 45 RMB/person

Zhaoling 30 RMB/person

Sacred Way 30 RMB/person

Off-season:

Dingling 40 RMB/person

Changling 30 RMB/person

Zhaoling 20 RMB/person

Sacred Way 20 RMB/person