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Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing
明孝陵 · Xuanwu (Purple Mountain), Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
The joint tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, where stone beasts on the Sacred Way and autumn plane trees form Nanjing's most poetic imperial tomb route.
Antes de ir · Know before you go
- This is a burial site: don't play around or make noise on the burial mound or the Sacred Way
- don't climb or sit on the stone animals
- don't pick flowers or plants in the tomb area.
Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.
Stories & people
Historias y personajes
Historia
From cowherd to founding emperor
Zhu Yuanzhang was born in 1328 into a poor peasant family in Zhongli, Haozhou; in the famines and epidemics of the late Yuan his parents died one after another, and he became a novice monk at a temple, then went out begging for alms, witnessing the people's suffering. He later joined the rebel armies, took Nanjing in 1356 and founded the Ming dynasty in 1368. In 1381 he began building his tomb on Zhongshan; after his death in 1398 he was buried here with Empress Ma — the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Fuente: Wikipedia: Hongwu Emperor; Wikipedia: Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
Culture
Cultura y costumbres
Contexto cultural
The Ming Xiaoling is the joint tomb of the Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, begun in 1381, the 14th year of the Hongwu reign; its name comes from the empress's posthumous title, 'Xiaoci'. Set on the southern slope of Zhong Mountain, with a winding Sacred Way lined by stone animals along the Stone Elephant Road and plane trees turning gold in autumn, it is the most poetic imperial tomb in Nanjing people's hearts. As the first of the Ming and Qing imperial tombs, its layout of 'court in front, sleeping quarters behind' shaped all later Ming and Qing mausoleums. It became a World Heritage Site in 2003 as part of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Costumbres locales
- Nanjingers treat the Zhongshan scenic area as the city's back garden, climbing in the morning and strolling in the evening
- in plane-tree season in November, the Stone Elephant Road is a favourite spot for wedding photos
- Plum Blossom Hill has more than 30,000 plum trees, and seeking plum blossom in early spring is an old Nanjing tradition.
Religión y creencias
- A secular imperial tomb with no religious activity
- there is a folk tradition of tomb-sweeping at Qingming, so be dignified when visiting.
Etiquette
Normas y tabúes
Normas que se aplican aquí
China: don't get physical in a dispute
- Walk away from an argument and call the police if needed
- Pushing, shoving or fighting
Whoever starts it, taking part in a fight can bring a fine or detention, and the injured party usually demands compensation.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice
China: carry your original passport
- Foreign visitors should carry their original passport
- Carrying only a copy or photo of your passport
Police make random ID checks and do not accept printouts; if you cannot show your passport, you may be fined or detained.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice
No lo haga DON'T
- This is a burial site: don't play around or make noise on the burial mound or the Sacred Way
- don't climb or sit on the stone animals
- don't pick flowers or plants in the tomb area.
Lo que aprecian los locales DO
- Nanjingers love strolling the streets, and the autumn colours of the Stone Elephant Road are a social-media regular
- locals like to take visiting friends to 'climb Zhong Mountain and see the Ming Xiaoling', followed by a bowl of duck blood and vermicelli soup.
Plan your visit
Información práctica
Consejos de viaje
- The plane-tree leaves are best in November, but weekends are crowded, so go on a weekday
- the Ming Xiaoling is part of the Zhongshan scenic area, so check for combined tickets
- combine with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Linggu Temple. Check tickets and opening hours on the official website.
Eat nearby
Qué comer cerca
Imprescindible
- Salted duck
- Duck blood and vermicelli soup
- Pidu noodles (puffed pork-skin noodles)
Salted duck (pale skin, tender, savoury), duck-blood vermicelli soup (with duck offal), pidu noodles (fried pork skin with shredded pork), red-bean yuanxiao (small glutinous balls in red-bean soup), plum-blossom cakes
| Dónde comer | Few options around the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum / Ming Xiaoling; head back to the city for Kexiang market, Mingwalang and the Confucius Temple area |
|---|---|
| Precio orientativo por persona | CNY 35–70 |
| Consejos | The scenic areas mostly have simple meals, so eat properly back in the city; for vacuum-packed salted duck as a gift, choose long-established brands. |
Los precios son orientativos a octubre de 2026, no presupuestos exactos; en zonas con tipos de cambio muy variables solo se da un intervalo aproximado en yuanes.
NNU10.24100114 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photos
Fotos
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xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0
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Chainwit. · CC BY 4.0
Kimon Berlin · CC BY-SA 2.0
Fuentes y notas de verificación
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