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{{Short description|Collection of mausoleums built by emperors of China}}
{{Redirect|Shisanling}}
{{about|the Ming tombs in Beijing|the Ming tomb in Nanjing|Ming Xiaoling}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = [[Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties]]
| Image       = [[File:Thirteen tombs entance dagong gate201909.jpg|300px]]
| Caption     = Dagong gate (Red in the middle) and Spirit way of the Ming tombs (behind the gate).
| Includes    =
| Location    = [[Beijing]] and [[Nanjing]], [[China]]
| Type        = Cultural
| Criteria    = i, ii, iii, iv, vi
| ID          = 1004
| Region      = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia|Asia-Pacific]]
| Coordinates = {{coord|40|15|12|N|116|13|3|E}}
| Year        = 2000
| Session     = 24th
| Extension   = 2003; 2004
| website     = http://www.mingtombs.com/
}}

The '''Ming tombs''' are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the [[Ming dynasty]] of China. The tomb of the first Ming ruler, the [[Hongwu Emperor]] ({{reign|1368|1398}}), is located near his capital [[Nanjing]]. However, the majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near [[Beijing]] and collectively known as the '''Thirteen Tombs of the Ming dynasty''' ({{zh |t = 明十三陵 |p = Míng Shísān Líng |l = Ming Thirteen Mausoleums}}). They are located within the suburban [[Changping District]] of Beijing  Municipality, {{convert|42|km|sp=us}} north-northwest of Beijing's city center. The site, on the southern slope of [[Tianshou Mountain]] (originally Huangtu Mountain), was chosen based on the principles of ''[[feng shui]]'' by the third Ming emperor, the [[Yongle Emperor]] ({{reign|1402|1424}}). After the construction of the Imperial Palace ([[Forbidden City]]) in 1420, the Yongle Emperor selected his burial site and created his own [[mausoleum]]. The subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley.

From the Yongle Emperor onwards, thirteen Ming emperors were buried in the same area. The Hongwu Emperor's [[Xiaoling Mausoleum]] is located near his capital Nanjing; the second emperor, the [[Jianwen Emperor]] ({{reign|1398|1402}}), was overthrown by the Yongle Emperor and disappeared, without a known tomb. The "temporary" emperor, the [[Jingtai Emperor]] ({{reign|1449|1457}}), was also not buried here, as the [[Emperor Yingzong of Ming|Tianshun Emperor]] ({{reign|1457|1464}}) had denied him an imperial burial; instead, the Jingtai Emperor was buried west of [[Beijing]].<ref name="dan">Eric N. Danielson, "[http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/articles.php?searchterm=016_mingancestor.inc&issue=016]". ''CHINA HERITAGE QUARTERLY'', No. 16, December 2008.</ref> The last emperor buried at the location was [[Chongzhen]] ({{reign|1627|1644}}), the last of his dynasty, who committed suicide by hanging on April 25, 1644. He was buried in his concubine Consort Tian's tomb, which was later declared as an imperial mausoleum ''Siling'' by the emperor of the short-lived [[Shun dynasty]], [[Li Zicheng]], with a much smaller scale compared to the other imperial mausoleums built for Ming emperors.

During the Ming dynasty, the tombs were off limits to commoners, but in 1644 [[Li Zicheng]]'s army ransacked and burned many of the tombs  before advancing to and subsequently capturing Beijing in April of that year.

In 1725, the [[Yongzheng Emperor]] bestowed the hereditary title of marquis on a descendant of the [[House of Zhu|Ming imperial family]], Zhu Zhilian, who received a salary from the Qing government and whose duty was to perform rituals at the Ming tombs. He was posthumously promoted to [[Marquis of Extended Grace]] in 1750 by the [[Qianlong Emperor]], and the title passed on through twelve generations of Ming descendants until the end of the Qing dynasty.

Presently, the Ming tombs are designated as one of the components of the World Heritage Site, the [[Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties]], which also includes a number of other locations near Beijing and in Nanjing, Hebei, Hubei, Liaoning province.

==Layout==
[[Image:Mingchangling201910.jpg|right|thumb|An overview of the Changling Mausoleum]]
[[Image:Spirit Way Pass Through Emperor Pavilion in Thirteen Tombs of Ming Dynasty.jpg|right|thumb|The Spirit Way pass through emperor pavilion]]
[[Image:Statue on the way of souls towards the Ming tombs near Beijing.JPG|thumb|left|150px|Statue in the Ming tombs grounds]]
[[File:Official and Warrior statue displayed in Ningbo Museum.jpg|thumb|Tomb guardian statues of a warrior and official, Ming period]]
The siting of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs was carefully chosen according to [[Feng Shui]] ([[geomancy]]) principles. According to these, bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North must be deflected; therefore, an arc-shaped valley area at the foot of the [[Jundu Mountains]], north of Beijing, was selected. This {{Convert|40|km2|abbr=on}} area—enclosed by the mountains in a pristine, quiet valley full of dark earth, tranquil water and other necessities as per Feng Shui—would become the [[necropolis]] of the Ming dynasty.

A {{convert|7|km|sp=us|adj=on|sigfig=1}} road named the "[[Spirit Way]]" ({{zh|s=|t=|hp=Shéndào}}) leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of a three-arches, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate". The Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming dynasty, this archway is one of the biggest stone archways in China today.

Further in, the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion can be seen; inside, there is a 50-ton stone statue of a [[Bixi (mythology)|Bixi]] carrying a memorial tablet. Four white marble ''[[Huabiao]]'' (pillars of glory) are positioned at each corner of the stele pavilion. At the top of each pillar is a mythical beast. Each side of the road is flanked by two pillars whose surfaces are carved with the cloud design, and tops are shaped like a rounded cylinder. They are of a traditional design, and were originally beacons to guide the soul of the deceased, The road leads to 18 pairs of stone statues of mythical animals, which are all sculpted from whole stones and larger than life size, leading to a three-arched gate known as the Dragon and Phoenix Gate.

{{geoGroup}}
At present,{{when?|date=October 2025}} only three tombs are open to the public:
* Changling, the largest ({{coord|40|18|5.16|N|116|14|35.45|E |type:landmark_region:CN-11 |name=Chang Ling tomb}}); 
* Dingling, whose underground palace has been excavated ({{coord|40|17|42.43|N|116|12|58.53|E |type:landmark_region:CN-11 |name=Ding Ling tomb}}); and 
* Zhaoling.

There have been no excavations since 1989, but plans for new archeological research and further opening of tombs have circulated. 

The Ming tombs were listed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in August 2003. They were listed along with other tombs under the "[[Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties]]" designation.
[[File:Ming Tombs 1875-1908.jpg|thumb|center|700px|Watercolor overview of the Ming tombs]]

==List of the Imperial Tombs==
The imperial tombs are in chronological order and list the individuals buried:
{| class="wikitable" 
|- bgcolor=efefef
! Name
! Chinese/pinyin
! Emperor
! Empresses and imperial concubines
! Date
! Picture
! Coordinate
|-
| Changling
| {{zh|t=長陵|p=Cháng Líng}}
|[[Yongle Emperor]] 
|[[Empress Xu (Ming dynasty)|Empress Renxiaowen]]
| 1424
|[[File:Ming_Changling_Tomb_After_Snow.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|18|5.16|N|116|14|35.45|E|type:landmark|name=長陵}}
|-
| Xianling
| {{zh|t=獻陵|p=Xiàn Líng}}
|[[Hongxi Emperor]]
|
| 1425
|[[File:Mingxianling2019.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|18|18.12|N|116|14|15.61|E|type:landmark|name=献陵}}
|-
| Jingling 
| {{zh|t=景陵|p=Jǐng Líng|l=Scenic Tomb}}
|[[Xuande Emperor]]
|[[Empress Sun|Empress Xiaogongzhang]]
| 1435
|[[File:Jingling Tomb of Ming Dynasty.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|17|54.14|N|116|15|08.52|E|type:landmark|name=景陵}}
|-
| Yuling 
| {{zh|t=裕陵|p=Yù Líng}}
|[[Emperor Yingzong of Ming|Zhengtong Emperor]]
|[[Empress Qian|Empress Xiaozhuangrui]]<br />Empress Xiaosu
| 1449
|[[File:Yuling_Tomb_of_Ming_Dynasty.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|18|49.33|N|116|13|55.56|E|type:landmark|name=裕陵}}
|-
| Maoling 
| {{zh|t=茂陵|p=Mào Líng}}
|[[Chenghua Emperor]]
|Empress Xiaomu<br />[[Empress Wang (Chenghua)|Empress Xiaozhenchun]]<br />Empress Xiaohui
| 1487
|[[File:Ming_Maoling_Tomb.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|18|51.60|N|116|13|36.17|E|type:landmark|name=茂陵}}
|-
| Tailing  
| {{zh|t=泰陵|p=Tài Líng}}
|[[Hongzhi Emperor]]
|[[Empress Zhang (Hongzhi)|Empress Xiaochengjing]]
| 1505
|[[File:Mingtailing2022.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|19|23.33|N|116|12|59.90|E|type:landmark|name=泰陵}}
|-
| Kangling 
| {{zh|t=康陵|p=Kāng Líng}}
|[[Zhengde Emperor]]
|[[Empress Xia (Ming dynasty)|Empress Xiaojingyi]]
| 1521
|[[File:Mingkangling Tomb.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|19|10.03|N|116|12|13.40|E|type:landmark|name=康陵}}
|-
| Yongling  
| {{zh|t=永陵|p=Yǒng Líng}}
|[[Jiajing Emperor]]
|[[Empress Chen (Jiajing)|Empress Xiaojiesu]]<br />[[Empress Fang|Empress Xiaolie]]<br />Empress Xiaoke
| 1566
|[[File:Ming_Yongling_Tomb.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|17|18.09|N|116|15|06.05|E|type:landmark|name=永陵}}
|-
| Zhaoling  
| ({{zh|t=昭陵|p=Zhāo Líng}}
|[[Longqing Emperor]]
|Empress Xiaoyizhuang<br />[[Empress Chen (Longqing)|Empress Xiao'an]]<br />[[Empress Dowager Xiaoding]]
| 1572
|[[File:Zhaoling_mausoleum_after_snow.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|17|28.76|N|116|12|38.55|E|type:landmark|name=昭陵}}
|-
| Qingling   
| {{zh|t=慶陵|p=Qìng Líng}}
|[[Taichang Emperor]]
|[[Empress Xiaoyuanzhen]]<br />Empress Dowager Xiaohewang<br />[[Empress Dowager Xiaochun]]
| 1620
|[[File:Ming_Qingling_Tomb_and_Yuling_Tomb.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|18|29.43|N|116|14|01.32|E|type:landmark|name=慶陵}}
|-
| [[Dingling (Ming)|Dingling]]   
| {{zh|t=定陵|p=Dìng Líng|l=Tomb of Stability}}
|[[Wanli Emperor]]
|[[Wang Xijie|Empress Xiaoduanxian]]<br />[[Empress Dowager Xiaojing]]
| 1620
|[[File:Dingling_Mausoleum_after_snow2022.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|17|42.43|N|116|12|58.53|E|type:landmark|name=定陵}}
|-
| Deling 
| {{zh|t=德陵|p=Dé Líng}}
|[[Tianqi Emperor]]  
|[[Empress Zhang Baozhu|Empress Xiao'aizhe]]
| 1627
|[[File:Ming_Deling2022.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|17|15.01|N|116|15|35.91|E|type:landmark|name=徳陵}}
|-
| Siling 
| {{zh|t=思陵|p=Sī Líng}}
|[[Chongzhen Emperor]]
|[[Empress Zhou (Ming dynasty)|Empress Xiaojie]]<br />Noble Consort Tian
| 1644
|[[File:Siling_Tomb_of_Ming_Dynasty.jpg|200px]]
|{{coord|40|16|08.69|N|116|11|32.64|E|type:landmark|name=思陵}}
|}

The Ming emperors not buried in one of the Thirteen Tombs are: [[Hongwu Emperor]], [[Zhu Biao|Zhu Biao, Emperor Kang]], [[Jianwen Emperor]], [[Jingtai Emperor]], and [[Zhu Youyuan|Zhu Youyuan, Emperor Xian]].
{{Panorama
|image = File:Departure Herald-Ming Dynasty.jpg
|height = 150
|caption = The panorama painting "Departure Herald", painted during the reign of the [[Jiajing Emperor]] (1521–1567 AD), shows the emperor traveling on horseback with a large escort through the countryside from Beijing's Imperial City to the Ming tombs.
|dir = rtl
}}

==Images==
<gallery>
Image:Tumbas ming1.JPG|An entrance to a Ming tomb
File:Mingdynastytombs1.jpg|Ling'en Hall of Changling Mausoleum
Image:Noel 2005 Pékin tombeaux Ming voie des âmes.jpg|Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion at the beginning of the sacred walk leading to the tombs
Image:Noel 2005 Pékin tombeaux Ming voie des âmes 18.jpg|A statue inside the Ming tombs
File:Tumbas ming2.JPG|A statue inside the Ming tombs
Image:Ling_En_Gate,_Chang_Ling.jpg|Ling'en Gate of Changling Mausoleum
Image:Silk_Burning_Stove,_The_Ming_Dynasty_Tombs,_Beijing.jpg|A silk burning stove at the Changling Mausoleum
File:MingDynastyTombsPic2.jpg|Minglou Tower of Changling Mausoleum
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum]] in Nanjing
* [[Ming Ancestors Mausoleum]] in Jiangsu Province
* [[Eastern Qing Tombs|Eastern Qing tombs]] near Beijing
* [[Western Qing Tombs|Western Qing tombs]] near Beijing
; The three imperial tombs north of the great wall
* [[Fuling Tomb]] east of Shenyang in Liaoning
* [[Zhao Mausoleum (Qing dynasty)|Zhao Mausoleum]] north of Shenyang in Liaoning
* [[Yongling Tombs]] east of Fushun in Liaoning

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty}}
*[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1004 Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ] on the  [[UNESCO]] World Heritage List

{{Ming dynasty topics}}
{{World Heritage Sites in China}}

[[Category:15th-century architecture]]
[[Category:15th century in China]]
[[Category:16th-century architecture]]
[[Category:16th century in China]]
[[Category:17th-century architecture]]
[[Category:17th century in China]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Beijing]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Beijing]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Ming dynasty|Tombs]]
[[Category:Changping District]]
[[Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing]]
[[Category:Mausoleums in China|Ming]]
[[Category:Ming dynasty architecture]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Beijing]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in China]]