Nanjing Things to Do

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Standing 50 meters from the Imperial Tablet Hall,is one of the main buildings in the tomb Palace and most important hall for holding memorial ceremonies.The original building in large scale was completed in the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Hong Wu(1383) and destroyed by wars during the reign of Emperor Xian Feng(1851-1861) of the Qing Dynasty.

Placed before the sacrificial hall on each side of its gate,the pair of sacrificial censers are actually two small temple shaped building made of yellow and green glazed materials.The censers are covered with single-eave gable-and-hip roofs.The gate in the middle of the buildings' front wall leads to a small chamber were pieces of paper(on which characters are inscribed to call back to spirit of the dead)used for sacrificial ceremonies are burnt.

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Imperial Tablet Hall was built under the order of Qing Emperor Kangxi.During his third inspection tour to Southern China in 1699.Kangxi came here to pay homage to the Ming Emperor.Seeing the building mostly in ruins,he ordered local officials to renovate them and wrote four characters " Zhi long Tang song" literally meaning "Running the state even better than Tang Emperor Taizong and Song Emperor Taizu,two successful emperors in Chinese history" to be inscribed on a table by Cao Yin(one of the greatest men of letters in Chinese history).An other two tablets inscribed with handwriting by Qing Emperor Qianlong(grandson of Emperor Kangxi)were juxtaposed on the both sides.

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The Tomb palace gate,also named as "Civil and Military Gate" is the front door to the main buildings 150-200 meters north to the Imperial River Bridge.The original gate had five gateways,three larger and two smaller.
The main gateway had a hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles.It was destroyed during the rign of Emperor Xian Feng of the Qing Dynasty and,when repaired during the reign of Emperor Tong Zhi,only one gateway was restored out of financial restriction.What we can see know is a reproduction of the original made in 1998 according to archeological investigation.

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In 1368,Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne at Yingtian(Nanjing) changed the dynasty title into Ming,and began his reign under the title of Hong Wu.
Construction of the Xiaoling Tomb was started in the 14th year of the reign of Emperor Hong Wy.Empress Ma died in to the following year and was soon buried into the underground palace.Since she was conferred the posthumous title Xiaoci(filial and kind),Zhu Yuanzhang named the tomb Xialing(filial tomb).In the 31st rear of the reign of Emperor Hong Wu,Zhu Yuanzhang died of illness and has buried here.

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The Xiaoling Tomb is the burial place of Zhu Yuanzhang,the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his wife Empress Ma.It is situated below the Dulong Mound at the southern foot of the Zhongshan Mountain in the western part of Nanjing.As one of the largest imperial tombs existent in China,it became a major historic and cultural site under state protection in 1961.
In 2003,the 27th sension of the Unesco World Heritage Committee approwed to accept it into the World Heraitage List as an associated site of "the imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties."

Zhongshan Mountain,located on the eastern outskirts of Nanjing,has been listed among the four famous mountains in areas to the south of the Yangtze river since ancient times.It is also called purple mountain because purple clouds can offen be found hovering over its peaks.The mountain covers an area of 31 sqkm. with the highest peak of 448 meters above sea level.For its unique terrain,Zhangshan Mountain enjoys the prestige as " a mountain of curling dragon" which boasts many places of interest such as magnificient Dr.Sun Tay-Sen's mausoleum,an imposing tomb of the Ming Dynasty,vividly-shaped stone sculptures along the sacred path,fragrant plum Blossom Hill,solemn and tranquil Linggu Temple,as well as numerous pavillions,towers and pagodas.All these masterpieces of architecture,together with the natural wonder of mountains and forests,turn the region into a reowned scenic area centering Zhongshan Mountain.In 1991,it was listed among "Forth top National tourist resort of China."

The Ming Tombs, otherwise known as Ming Xiaoling or Tomb of Hongwu, were a real highlight of Nanjing. The tomb itself is a manmade (and fairly impressive) hill; getting there you cross some lovely courtyards and gates. What was special about these, at least in the summer of 2007, was that they were not reconstructed and painted to the nth degree, as we had seen in the other tombs on our tour. Instead, the terraces had grass growing on them, you could see the bases where pillars used to be, and the fantastical waterspouts had definite signs of age. These made for gorgeous pictures and a real sense of age. The only place this was not wonderful was right at the end of the tomb, where you had to climb upwards through a tunnel with stairs to stand on top of the last gate. The tunnel had no light or handrails and the stairs were worn and very slick with puddles. The view was worth it, however - just be careful. Also, do not come and go without walking down the Sacred Way - guides will want to skip it! It is lined with beautiful animal statues, imaginatively carved and each one different - not to be missed. If you follow the Sacred Way all the way from the tombs and then cross a road (this is going backwards, of course) one final turtle, with accompanying stele, of course, is in a little brick enclosure in the middle of the woods. We found it deserted and a perfectly gorgeous spot for pictures. All together, you could spend several hours very happily at the Ming Tombs, particularly if you are a photo enthusiast.