Brief Introduction
The Ming and Qing imperial tombs are distributed inBeijing, and in Hebei, Liaoning, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces. Assome of the most important constructions of the nation at that time,they were often built under the personal inspection of the emperorsthemselves, and always designed with the closest attention and highestskills. Most of the mausoleums are still well preserved.
Cultural Heritage
A showcase of the highest level of architectural anddesign concepts in Ming and Qing China (1368-1911); a dazzlingillustration of the beliefs, world view, moral values and ideas aboutlife and death of Chinese feudal society for thousands of years.
Every year at the Ming Tombs there were three largesacrificial ceremonies and four small ones. Sometimes officials hostedthe ceremonies, and sometimes the emperor himself. Temporary palaceswere built in the vicinity for these emperors.
Architecture
The 13 Ming and Qing imperial tombs in Beijing arebasically similar in appearance. Cloistered in ancient cypress and pinegroves, they were usually built in oblong shape, surrounded by redwalls and covered with yellow tiles. The whole area is enclosed by amajestic wall built in accordance with the hilly topography, with themain entrance spanning two hills, named Dragon and Tiger. A largesymbolic gateway, the largest one in ancient China, was erected at theentrance, with a height of 14 m and width of 29 m. Five gates and sixcolumns leading to the tomb area are made of white marble, throughwhich one is directed along a road lined with 18 pairs of stone figures(24 animal figures and 12 human ones), stele pavilions, gates andbridges. Among the 13 tombs, the Chang, Yong and Ding tombs are thegrandest.
The Ming and Qing Tombs are outstanding examples ofthe principles of geomancy (Fengshui) in China, as well as oftraditional architecture.
Burial and Memorial Ceremonies
The funeral of an emperor was lengthy and solemn. Thecoffin was kept in the Palace until the day before the funeral, whenthe funeral vehicles and mourners were arranged in special dispositionsoutside the Wumen Gate of the Forbidden City. The crown prince, thedeceased emperor's wives, the high-ranking officials and other relevantmourners attended a farewell ceremony in the mourning hall. After that,the coffin would be covered with a pall, and carried to the hearse. Itwas then accompanied by all the mourners to the Wumen Gate, where thecrown prince alone was to halt and turn back. The coffin was carriedthrough the Wumen Gate to the Duanmen Gate, out of the Deshengmen Gateand all the way to the Tianshoushan Tombs. Memorial altars were set upbeforehand along this way, where hereditary nobles, officials, membersof the imperial family, ministers, monks, Taoist priests and localsquires saw the deceased emperor off and held sacrifices for him. Thecrown prince, meanwhile, held an ancestral worship sacrifice in the TaiTemple.
When the coffin arrived at the mausoleum, it wouldstill have to wait for a calculated auspicious time to be moved intothe Underground Palace. Only when all the burial objects were placed inthe Underground Palace together with the coffin and the gate of theUnderground Palace was closed was the whole funeral finished.
