Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty - Typical Unified Tomb
After the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) moved the capital to Beijing, a unified tomb area was formed at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in the northern suburban area of Changping. It is also the grandest mausoleum building complex in Chinese history called the Thirteen Tombs.
The Thirteen Tombs are a unified tomb area, and each tomb has a complete system, occupying a hill and consisting of the main gate, the main hall, the soul tower and the treasure house. Because the Chang Tomb was deemed as the ancestral tomb in later generations, the sites of other imperial tombs were selected to be built on both sides of the Chang Tomb.
To manifest respect for the ancestors, the architectural scale was reduced to "venerate the ancestral tomb." Thus, the scale and structure of the Chang Tomb was clearly highlighted, and it became a typical representative of Ming emperors' tombs.
The entrance of the whole tomb area is a tall six-pillar stone archway. Inside the stone archway is a seven-kilometer tomb passage, which originally led to the Chang Tomb and later became the main tomb passage shared by all tombs. It winds between the sand mountains on the left and right and leans toward the smaller one slightly, realizing a delicate balance between the visual effects of the two sand mountains' sizes. The tomb passage passes the Great Red Gate, the Stele Pavilion and stone animals and reaches the Dragon & Phoenix Gate. The decorative stone animals in front of the tombs symbolize guards in the real world.
The central axis of the Chang Tomb is opposite to the main peak of the Tianshou Mountain with one small "sand mountain" in the east and one in the west, representing the green dragon and white tiger in feng shui theories and guarding the mausoleum.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press
After the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) moved the capital to Beijing, a unified tomb area was formed at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in the northern suburban area of Changping. It is also the grandest mausoleum building complex in Chinese history called the Thirteen Tombs.
The Thirteen Tombs are a unified tomb area, and each tomb has a complete system, occupying a hill and consisting of the main gate, the main hall, the soul tower and the treasure house. Because the Chang Tomb was deemed as the ancestral tomb in later generations, the sites of other imperial tombs were selected to be built on both sides of the Chang Tomb.
To manifest respect for the ancestors, the architectural scale was reduced to "venerate the ancestral tomb." Thus, the scale and structure of the Chang Tomb was clearly highlighted, and it became a typical representative of Ming emperors' tombs.
The entrance of the whole tomb area is a tall six-pillar stone archway. Inside the stone archway is a seven-kilometer tomb passage, which originally led to the Chang Tomb and later became the main tomb passage shared by all tombs. It winds between the sand mountains on the left and right and leans toward the smaller one slightly, realizing a delicate balance between the visual effects of the two sand mountains' sizes. The tomb passage passes the Great Red Gate, the Stele Pavilion and stone animals and reaches the Dragon & Phoenix Gate. The decorative stone animals in front of the tombs symbolize guards in the real world.
The central axis of the Chang Tomb is opposite to the main peak of the Tianshou Mountain with one small "sand mountain" in the east and one in the west, representing the green dragon and white tiger in feng shui theories and guarding the mausoleum.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press
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