The Ming tombs and Around

Thirteen of the sixteen Ming-dynasty emperors were entombed in and around the Shisan Ling Valley, 40kin northwest of Beijing. Two of these Ming Tombs (daily 8.30am-4.30pm;ï¿¥20 per tomb), Chang Ling and Ding Ling, were restored in the 1950s and the latter was also excavted, yielding up various treasures to the capital’s nmseums. They are very much on the tour circuit, conveniently placed on the way to Badaling. However, the Fame of the tombs is overstated in relation

to the actual interest of the sites and, unless you’ve a strong archeological inter-est, this isn’t a trip worth making for its own sake. Ifyou want to come, the eas- iest way to get here is to take any of the tourist buses that visit Badaling (see pA40), which visit the tombs on the way back to Beijing. On public transport, take bus #845 fi’om Xizhimen to Changping, then bus #314 to the tombs. Buses drop you at a car park just before Ding Ling, where you buy your ticket. The third Ming emperor, Yongle, who slfifted the capital back from Nan]lng to Bei]ing, chose this site for its landscape and it’s undeniably one of the loveliest around due capital. Its scenic appeal has also caught the eye of Beijing’s tourist planners, and the area is currently under development as a “tourist park” with hotels, amusement centres and even a golf course. Fortunately, at present only the two principal tombs have had nmch notice taken of them - the other eleven stand neglected and very beautiful anfid former gardens, with grass and weeds breaking through their tiled roots and marble foundations. They make a nice place to pic- Nc if you just feel like a break frona the city and its more tangible succession of sights. To get the most out of the place, plan to spend a day bere and hike around the smaller tombs farther into the hills rather than sticking to the tourist route between Ding Ling and the car park.You’ll need a map to do this and you’ll find one on the back of some Beijing city maps, or you can buy one at the site. The approach to the Ming Tombs, the seven-kilometre Spirit Way, is Shisan Ling’s most exciting feature. This commences with the Dahongmen (Great Red Gate), a triple-entranced triumphal arch, through the central opening of which 0nlv the emperor’s dead body could be carried. Beyond, the road is lined to either side with colossal stone statues of animals and men. Stardingly larger than life, the statues all date from the fifteenth century and are among the best sur- viving examples of Ming sculpture. The sequence begins with groups of ani- reals, real and mythological, including the qilin, a reptilian-like beast with deer’s horns and a cow’s tail, and the horned, feline xiechi. The avenue then changes alignment slightly and you are nret by the first, stern human figures of military mandarins. The precise significance of the statues is unclear, although it is assumed they were intended to serve the emperors in their next life. Animal statuary reappears at the entrances to several of the tombs, though the structures themselves are something of an anticlimax. Chang Ling,Yongle’s tomb and the earliest at the site, stands at the end of the avenue. There are plans to excavate it, an exciting scheme since it is contemporary with some of the finest building of the Imperial Palace in the capital. At present the enduring impression is mainly one of scale: vast courtyards and hall buildings approached by terraced white marble. Its main feature is the Hall of Enfinent Flowers, sup- ported by huge colunms of single tree trunks which it is said were imported all the way fromYunnan along frozen roads, slippery with ice. The main focus of the tour, however, is Ding Ling, the underground tomb- palace of the Emperor Wanli. Wanli ascended the throne in 1573 at the age of 10 and reigned for ahnost halfa century. He began building his tomb when he was 22, in line with common Ming practice, and hosted a grand party within on its completion. The mausoleum was opened in 1956 and found to be sub- stantially intact, revealing the emperor’s coffin, flanked by those of two of his empresses, and floors covered with the remains of scores of trunks containing imperial robes, gold and silver, and even the imperial cookbooks. Some of the treasures are displayed in the tomb, a huge nmsty vault, undecorated but impressive for its scale, and others have been replaced by replicas. It’s a cau- tionary sight of useless wealth accumulation, as pointed out by the tour guides.

Too see more Tourist Attractions in Beijing, Please click here.

Too see more information about China, Please click here.