Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

明孝陵

The most famous Ming-era site of Nanjing, Ming Xiaoling is the mausoleum complex of Zhu Yuanzhang, also known as the Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Most of the monuments are lined up along the mile-long Sacred Way (shendao), which runs from the Square Pavilion (Sifangcheng) with its giant bixi turtle to the artificial hill under which is the emperor's burial chamber. Look out for the stone camels and elephants of the sacred way, as well as for the site's second turtle - homage of the Kangxi Emperor, the greatest emperor of the Qing dynasty, to his Ming predecessor. The site's third turtle - the least known of the three, but the biggest and most mysterious - was found in a nearby ravine in the late 20th century, and is now installed in the Red Chamber Culture Park (红楼艺文苑 Honglou Yiwen Yuan), which is located just east of the main Ming Xiaoling complex, and can be visited on the same ticket. ¥70, open on Monday

• history
• outdoors

Address

玄武区瓮仲路

Phone

+102584446111

Website

zschina.nanjing.gov.cn (opens in a new tab)