Introduction
The Tianshou Mountain where the Ming Tombs are located is within Changping County, 45 km to the north of Beijing, which form a group of mausoleums, are those of 13 emperors in the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644). They cover an area of about 120 square kilometers. Screened on the northwest by the lofty Yanshan Mountains, they sit on a small basin formed by floods.
History & Background
Construction of the Ming Tombs started in 1409 and ended in 1644, when the Ming Dynasty collapsed. It took 200 plus years to build the Ming Tombs from beginning to end. 13 imperial tombs, 7 concubines tombs and a eunuchs tomb are scattered in the valley.
The Ming Tombs is relatively conserved well compared with other Chinese imperial tombs. It boasts high historic and cultural values due to its grand architecture, complete system and long history. To conserve the cultural heritage, the central government has restored and maintained the Ming Tombs since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Architecture
The Ming Tombs adopt the method of construction placing the Changing Tomb of Emperor ChengZu at the center. Various other tombs formed an arc shape and jointly used the Shinto (path leading to tombs), not only reducing manual work, but also increasing the momentum of the tomb area.
Under the Ming tomb system, grave mounds are changed into round earth mounds, called "baoding" or tee. The front axis of the tee is a series of courtyards which emphasizes the in-depth composition of the axis. Such a design, which is more compact, is a good concept.
Among the mausoleums, the largest is the Chang Mausoleum while the smallest is the Si Mausoleum, but all of them were built in roughly the same way. They form a group, yet each of them stands alone as an independent unit. The Ming Tombs are characterized by its large size, complete system, and intact preservation. As the representative of ancient Chinese imperial mausoleums, they reflect the richness of traditional Chinese culture, with very high historic and cultural value. Entirely forbidden in the past, they are now a tourist attraction famous at home and abroad. Currently four spots are officially opened to the public, namely the Ding Mausoleum, the Chang Mausoleum, the Zhao Mausoleum and the passages to the tombs.

Important Events
1) The Ming Tombs was promulgated by Beijing Municipal Government as one of the first batch of key ancient architecture and cultural heritage conservation site in 1957.
2) It was listed as key cultural heritage under state conservation in 1961.
3) The Ming Tombs area was announced as a national key scenic spot by State Council in 1982.
4) It was evaluated as one of the best 40 scenic spots in China by National Tourism Administration in 1991.
5) The Ming Tombs was evaluated as imperial cemetery conserved intact with the most emperors buried in the world. By selection and evaluation committee of World Top on Beijing Tourism in 1992.
6)It was evaluated as AAAA scenic spot by National Tourism Administration in 2001.
7)The Ming Tombs was inscribed into the catalogue of World Heritage in the 27th session of World Heritage Organization of UNESCO on July 3rd, 2003.
Information
Address: The Ming Tombs Special Area, Changling Town
Opening hours: Dingling: 8:30-18:00; Changling: 8:30-17:30
Ticketing hours: Dingling: 8:00-17:30; Changling: 8:00-17:00; Zhaoling:: 8:00-17:00; Shenlu: 8:00-17:30
How to get to Ming Tombs
1) No.22: Starting at Lishuiqiao Subway Station to Shenlu, Dingling and Zhaoling;
2) No.345: Starting at Deshengmen to Changping Dongguan and transfer to Bus 314 to Shenlu,Dingling and Changling;
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1. What is the Ming Tombs?
The Ming Tombs are located at the foot of Tianshou mountain in Changping District, about 50 kilometers away from Tian'anmen. It is mainly the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Thirteen tombs of emperors, seven tombs of concubines and one Tomb of eunuchs were built successively. A total of 13 emperors, 23 queens, 2 princesses, more than 30 concubines and two eunuchs were buried. The open scenic spots include Changling tomb, Dingling tomb, Zhaoling tomb and Sacred Way.
2. What are the tombs of the Ming Tombs?
Changling tomb, Dingling tomb, Zhaoling tomb,Yongling tomb, Xianling tomb, Qingling tomb, Maoling tomb, Kangling tomb, Jingling tomb, Tailing tomb, Deling tomb, Yuling tomb, Siling tomb.
3. Why did the Ming Tombs only open three tombs?
According to China's cultural relics protection policy, no active excavation measures are taken for historical figures or royal tombs. Unless the grave robbers have been excavated illegally. At present, the three open tombs: Zhaoling Mausoleum, Dingling mausoleum and Changling mausoleum have been excavated by tomb robbers, so only these three are open.
4. What to see in Ming tombs?
Sacred Way: Along the Sacred Way, you will see a number of sites (or sights) of interest and beauty, including the Stone Tablet Archway, Great Red Gate, Tablet Pavilion, Ornamental Columns, Stone Figures, Lingxin Gate
Dingling Tombs: The Dingling mausoleum is the tomb of Zhu Yijun, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You can visit the underground palace here.
Changling Tombs: The Changling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is the joint Tomb of Emperor Zhu Di and empress Xu. It is the largest, the earliest, and the ground buildings are the best preserved in the Ming Tombs. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Ming tombs.
5. How to get to the Ming tombs from Beijing downtown?
By Bus:
1) Take bus 872 from Deshengmen Bus Station to Dingling and Changling; the bus is available from 7:00 to 20:10.
2. Take bus 345 Express or 886 from Deshengmen West Station, get off at Changping Dongguan Station, and then take bus 314 to the Sacred Way (Nanxin Village Station), Dingling and Changling.
By metro:
Take the Changping Line to Changping Dongguan Station, then transfer to bus 314 to Changling or Dingling. Then you can only hire a taxi to get there.
6. What is the tickets and opening hours of the Ming tombs?
Address: The Ming Tombs Special Area, Changling Town
Opening hours: Dingling: 8:30-18:00; Changling: 8:30-17:30
Tickets price: Dingling: 8:00-17:30; Changling: 8:00-17:00; Zhaoling:: 8:00-17:00; Shenlu: 8:00-17:30
Duration:7-8 Hours
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace
Tour Style:One day, four Beijing essentials — Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace — with a private English-speaking guide and your own air-conditioned car and driver. Itineraries run daily, take 7–8 hours door to door, and can start from your Beijing hotel, a train station or the airport arrivals gate. Your guide walks you through Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) palace courts with real dates instead of legend, then takes you to a genuine local kitchen for Peking Duck — you order, you pay for what you eat, and vegetarian, halal or lighter meals are easy to arrange. Want to fold in Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven, a hutong morning market, Peking Opera or Hanfu photos? Just tell us; the car and the day are yours.
Duration:2 Days, 1 Night
Attractions(Cities):Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Nanluoguxiang, Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace
Tour Style:Two days, one night, six Beijing essentials — with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and driver, and one overnight in a city-centre four-star. Day one: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), a hutong lunch stop, the Temple of Heaven, then evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day two: an early start to the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — then the Summer Palace and its 728-metre Long Corridor before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Tell us if you want to fold in Peking Duck, 798 Art District, flag-raising at dawn, Chinese acrobatics, a street-snack crawl or Hanfu photos.
Duration:3 Days, 2 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Jingshan Park, Summer Palace, Kunming Lake Boat Riding, Nanluoguxiang, Panjiayuan Antique Market, Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube
Tour Style:Three days, two nights in a city-centre four-star, eleven Beijing essentials and a private English-speaking guide, your own air-conditioned car and a professional driver for the whole trip. Day 1: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the north panorama over golden roofs, evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day 2: the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — back through the city for a walk around the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube lit up. Day 3: the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace with a boat on Kunming Lake, and a slow hour at the Panjiayuan antique market before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Lunch isn’t included — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens and you pay for what you eat.
Duration:5 Days, 4 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Qianmen Street, Morning Market, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Nanluoguxiang, Facial Makeup Painting, 798 Art Zone
Tour Style:Five days, four nights in a city-centre Beijing hotel with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and a professional driver. This is the ‘beyond the surface’ version of Beijing — yes, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the golden-roof panorama, the Temple of Heaven and the Mutianyu Great Wall are all in, but the tour also threads in a dawn hutong morning market, a face-painting workshop with a working Peking Opera artist, the 798 Art District’s galleries and cafés, an evening at Qianmen pedestrian street, and a slow look at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube at the old Olympic Park. Lunch isn’t included on purpose — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens each day and you pay for what you eat. Drop-off on Day 5 at your Beijing hotel, station or airport.
Duration:10+ Hours
Attractions(Cities):Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
Tour Style:A long but focused day trip to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Your private English-speaking guide and car meet you at your Xi’an hotel, train station or airport (arrive from Beijing by G-series high-speed rail — 4.5–6 hours, or an early flight if you prefer). Lintong, 35 km east of Xi’an, holds roughly 8,000 life-size clay soldiers, horses and chariots buried with the first emperor Qin Shi Huang around 210 BC and rediscovered by farmers digging a well in 1974 (UNESCO-listed). You’ll cover Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3 and the bronze-chariot museum at a proper pace, break for lunch at a local noodle kitchen on your own bill, and finish back at your Xi’an pickup point or the station for the evening train. Total door to door: 10+ hours.
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