After more than 600 years of vicissitudes, the wooden structure of many buildings no longer exists, but the layout of the tombs still retains the original grand style, and the underground tombs are as good as ever. The main buildings and stone carvings in the mausoleum, Fangcheng, Minglou, Baocheng and Baoding, including the stone carvings on Xiamafang, Dajinmen, Shengde Monument, Shinto and Shi Xiang Road, are all architectural remains of the Ming Dynasty, maintaining the authenticity of the original buildings and the integrity of the spatial layout of the mausoleum. In particular, the "front yard and back bedroom" of the Ming tombs and the mausoleum system of the front and rear courtyards reflect the ritual system, but the imperial power politics is prominent. Ming Mausoleum is one of the largest existing tombs of ancient emperors. Its mausoleum system not only inherited the system of "depending on mountains as tombs" in the Tang and Song Dynasties and before, but also changed the square grave into a round mound, creating the basic pattern of "the front is round". The Regulations on the Establishment of Tombs in Ming Tombs has been regulating the architectural pattern of more than 20 tombs in Ming and Qing Dynasties for more than 500 years, which has a special position in the history of the development of tombs in China. Therefore, the Ming Mausoleum can be called the first royal mausoleum in Ming and Qing Dynasties. This 600-year-old imperial tomb of the Ming Dynasty is famous for its prominent owner, large scale, unique shape, back to Zhongshan and beautiful environment. This is one of the largest tombs in China.
196 1 year, the Ming tombs were announced as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In July, 2003, at the 27th World Heritage Conference, the Ming Tombs, as an expansion project of "imperial tombs of the ming and qing dynasties", were listed in the World Heritage List and became a member of the World Heritage. Evaluation of World Heritage Committee: According to the theory of geomantic omen, imperial tombs of the ming and qing dynasties has carefully selected sites and skillfully placed a large number of buildings underground. It is the product of human's transformation of nature, which embodies the traditional architectural and decorative ideas, and interprets the world outlook and power view of feudal China that lasted for more than 500 years. Imperial tombs of the ming and qing dynasties, located in Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places, is the mausoleum complex of the Ming and Qing emperors in China. It was built according to a strict hierarchical system, with a complete system of above-ground and underground buildings, rigorous layout, grand scale, gorgeous architecture and fine craftsmanship, which embodied the highest funeral system in China feudal society. In 2000, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognized that it met the world cultural heritage standards, and listed the Ming Tombs, Qing Tombs and Qing Tombs as the Ming and Qing emperors' tombs in the World Heritage List.
[Edit this paragraph] Architectural features
Shinto stone carvings in the Ming Tombs are the only ones in the tombs of China emperors that are not in a straight line, but form an arc around Meihua Mountain with Sun Quan's tomb in the Three Kingdoms period, which looks like the Big Dipper. The length of Shendao from Xiamafang in Weigang to Wenwufang Gate is about 2400 meters. At the entrance of Xiaoling Mausoleum, Xiamafang is a two-column stone archway, with six Chinese characters engraved on its forehead: "All officials are dismounted". The civil and military officials in the mausoleum had to dismount and walk here. Along the Shinto Road, there are: Xiamafang, Forbidden Covenant Monument, Dajinmen, Shengde Monument Pavilion, Yuqiao, Shi Xiang Road, Lion King Column, Military Commander, Chen Wen and Star Gate. After crossing Lingxingmen, turn northeast and enter the main part of the cemetery. On the north-south axis of Dulong House, there are: Jinshui Bridge, Wu Wen Square Gate, Xiaoling Gate, Xiaoling Hall, Neihongmen, Fangcheng Minglou, Baoding and other buildings in turn. Mausoleum buildings are arranged according to the central axis, which embodies the traditional architectural style of China.
Most of the wooden buildings in the Ming tombs were destroyed in the war between the Qing army and the Taiping army in 1853, and now only the masonry buildings such as Xiamafang, Forbidden Monument, Neihongmen, the middle wall of the Monument Pavilion, Shi Xiang Road and the lower part of Fangcheng Ming Building are left. The Ming Tombs are grand in layout and strict in regulations, and there is a precedent for the road to the gods, which has influenced the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The cemetery is 2.62 kilometers deep and the perimeter of the red wall is 22.5 kilometers.
[Edit this paragraph] Historical evolution
The construction of the Ming Tombs began in the 14th year of Hongwu (138 1). In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, major projects such as the Mausoleum Award were completed, and 65,438+million military industries were mobilized. It was completed in the third year of Yongle (1405), which lasted for 25 years. Its overall layout is divided into two parts: one is the Shinto that guides the building, and the other is the main building of the mausoleum.
The Ming Tombs suffered heavy losses many times in the Qing Dynasty, especially during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the surface buildings in the Ming Tombs were almost destroyed, and the imperial tablet inscribed by Kangxi even fell to the ground. It was not until September of the third year of Tongzhi (1864) that Zeng Guofan wrote to the mausoleum to restore the Ming tombs. At that time, Zeng Guofan sent personnel to investigate and estimate that the Ming tombs actually needed 202,000 silver for maintenance, but the Qing Dynasty was short of money. As a result, only 740 taels of silver was spent on minor repairs and repairs, and the imperial plaque of "Governing the Song Dynasty" was uncovered, and a repaired crack could be seen on the plaque. Originally, people could bypass the left and right sides of the stone tablet, but after 1980, the whole stone tablet was fixed to the roof by cement; So now you have to come out of the Imperial Monument Hall to see the turtle's back.
At the funeral, at the same time, the same coffin went out from all the gates in Nanjing to confuse the grave robbers. Behind Fangcheng is the underground palace where Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma Shi were buried together, commonly known as "Baocheng", which is a big dome with a diameter of about 400 meters. Baocheng is thick and ups and downs with the mountain. The bottom is paved with stones and the top with bricks, with a thickness of about 1 m. On the stone wall in the south, there are seven characters "Ming Taizu's Tomb is in this mountain". During the Ming Dynasty, the whole cemetery planted 100000 pine trees and stocked1000 immortal deer that won the silver medal. By the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, the losses were all gone. So far, Xiaoling has never been stolen.
According to historical records, in the 14th year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 138 1), Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the construction of a mausoleum. In August of the following year, Ma Huanghou died of illness and was buried in this mausoleum in September, named "Xiaoling". The name of Xiao Ling takes its meaning from the word "filial piety" and means "ruling the world with filial piety". It is named after Ma Huanghou's "filial piety". Ming tomb Yongle was built in the third year (1405), which lasted for 25 years. The Ming royal family mobilized 6,543,800 yuan of military industry, which consumed a lot of manpower and material resources. The Ming Mausoleum is large in scale and magnificent in architecture, and its shape has been improved with reference to the tombs of Tang and Song Dynasties. When it was completed, the temples were magnificent and the pavilions were magnificent. Half of the 70 monasteries in the Southern Dynasties were enclosed in forbidden gardens. There are 100000 pine trees and1000 deer in the mausoleum. Due to repeated fires, except for the mausoleum and the underground palace, only Shinto, dismounted archway, Dajinmen and Sifang City are left in the Ming tomb.
The buildings in the tomb area are roughly divided into two groups: the first group is Shinto, from Xiamafang to the main entrance of Xiaoling; The second group is the main part, from the main entrance to Baocheng, Minglou and Chongqiu. Existing buildings include Martyrs Mountain Monument, Forbidden Monument, Xiamafang, Dajinmen, Sifang City, Shengde Monument, Xiaoling Hall and Dashiqiao.
In the thirty-first year of Hongwu (AD 1398), Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of 3 1 died and was buried in Xiaoling. The underground palace where Zhu Yuanzhang and the Empress were buried together, commonly known as "Baocheng", is a big dome with a diameter of about 400 meters. Surrounded by a stone wall, the South Stone Wall is engraved with seven characters "This Mountain is Ming Taizu's Tomb". Baocheng is thick. It is one of the largest tombs in China, with a height of 1 m, with boulders below and bricks above. After more than 600 years of wind and rain, in recent years, the wall of Baocheng City partially collapsed and the wall peeled off. In some places, huge cracks have been formed due to the reverse tearing of foundation settlement. Nanjing Cultural Relics Department has invested more than 3 million yuan to adopt the protection scheme of ancient buildings experts of Southeast University. According to the requirements of repairing the old, the wall was repaired, such as "sewing up" cracks, leveling the "wall", repairing the deformed wall and "operating" waterproof and leakproof. In order to facilitate tourists to see the true meaning of "Long Mai", a bluestone trail was also built, allowing visitors to climb the top of Baodi and get a panoramic view of the Ming Tombs.
[Edit this paragraph] Main buildings and structures
It took 25 years from the 14th year of Hongwu (138 1) to the 3rd year of Yongle (1405). Mobilized 654.38+million military industry, consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, and the scale was huge. At that time, the imperial wall in the west and north of the mausoleum from Chaoyangmen (now Zhongshan Gate) to Xiaolingwei was 45 Li Long, and more than 5,000 soldiers guarded the mausoleum. At that time, pavilions in the cemetery were connected; Smoke in the temple, pine and cypress in the forest, deer in a thousand miles. Luming Literature in this period, the momentum is extraordinary. Due to repeated fires, there are only six memorial tablets left: Martyrs Mountain Monument, Dismounted Archway, Dajinmen, Sifang City and Virtue Monument, Shinto Stone Beasts and Lions, Avengers, Camels, Kirin, Horses and Horses, Shinto Stone Columns and Civil Servants and Generals.
The Shinto of the Mausoleum starts from Sifang City. Sifang City is a tablet pavilion, located between Wei Qiao and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. It is a "sacred merit monument of Daming Tomb" built by Judy, the founding emperor of Ming Dynasty, for his father Zhu Yuanzhang. Its top has been destroyed, leaving only a square wall, and a stone tablet stands on the turtle seat, 8.78 meters high. Judy wrote an inscription of 2,746 words, detailing the merits and demerits of Ming Taizu. The pedestal and tablet are exquisitely carved. Shinto goes west through Waijinshui Bridge (now Hongqiao), bypasses Meihua Mountain and turns north, about 1800 meters long. Among them, this section is Stone Elephant Road, and 12 pairs of stone beasts are arranged in opposite directions, that is, six kinds of stone beasts, namely lion, lion, camel elephant, unicorn, horse and elephant, each with two pairs, and the posture is one pair of crouching and one pair of opposing. Behind them are a pair of tall China watches, carved with Yunlong, with extraordinary momentum. There are four pairs of civilian military commanders in armor or embroidered robes on Shinto, turning to the north. Unfortunately, some have been damaged. The stone man and beast are huge in shape, and the Shinto of Xiaoling Mausoleum in Ming Dynasty is a treasure of stone carving art in Ming Dynasty. Zhumen in the Ming Tombs faces south, facing Meihua Mountain, and the word "Ming Tombs" is written on his forehead. On the east side of the gate stands a stone tablet notice, which was written by the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty in six languages by the Daotai of the General Administration of Westernization of Liangjiang and the Magistrate of Jiangning. There used to be two royal pavilions behind the stele pavilion, one in the west is called the sacrificial pavilion, and the other in the east is called the service hall. Now, they are all destroyed, leaving only a few stone pillars and stone fields. You can also see the foundations of 64 stone pillars on the original site of the temple, from which you can imagine that the scale of the temple is very large. The present Xiang Dian was rebuilt in the 12th year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1873), which is much smaller than the original one, and contains a portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang. After enjoying the temple, it is an open field with a depth of over 100 meters and a width of tens of meters. It used to be an open-air sacrificial place, with a tunnel in the middle and lush trees on both sides. There is a stone bridge at the end of the tunnel, called Dashiqiao, also called Sage Bridge, which means that crossing this bridge is the "fairy world". The north of the bridge is a castle-like building with a width of 75 meters, a height of 16 meters and a depth of 3 1 meter, which is called Fangcheng. Fangcheng is made of large stones, with an arched inclined tunnel in the middle and steps to enter, with a total of 54 steps. There are stone steps from the tunnel to the top of the city. There used to be a palace-style building on the top of the city, and the top and wooden structure of the building have been destroyed. Now there are only four brick walls, three arches in the south and one arch on the other three sides. Looking from the top of Fangcheng, there are Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the east, Meihua Mountain in the south, Sun Yat-sen Botanical Garden in the west and Baoding in the north, surrounded by lush trees and pines, which does not prevent visitors from recalling the past. Baoding is a big dome with a diameter of about 400 meters, which is the underground palace where Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Huanghou were buried together. Surrounded by a stone wall, the South Stone Wall is engraved with seven characters "This Mountain is Ming Taizu's Tomb". Meihua Mountain was buried here by Sun Quan and his wife, the monarch of Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period. It was called Sun Linggang in ancient times and is located 300 meters south of the Ming Tombs.
The Ming tombs have a beautiful environment. The surrounding mountains are undulating, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the human and natural landscape is natural. The cemetery is large in scale and rigorous in pattern. Xiaoling Building is 2.62 kilometers deep from Xiamafang to Baocheng. The main building of the mausoleum is surrounded by the red wall of that year, with a circumference of 2.25 kilometers. The existing website can be divided into two parts.
The first part: the winding mausoleum Shinto. From Xiamafang to the main entrance of Xiaoling (Wu Wen Fangmen), including Xiamafang, Shenlie Mountain Monument, Dajinmen, Shen Gong Shengde Monument and Monument Pavilion (commonly known as Sifang City), Shinto Stone Carvings and Yu He Bridge.
Xiamafang and Monument to the Martyrs: Xiamafang is a two-column stone archway with a width of 4.94 meters and a height of 7.85 meters. On the forehead of the square, the words "Officials from all departments dismount" are engraved, and it is announced that officials entering the Ming Tombs must dismount and walk to show their respect for the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. The Monument to Shenlie Mountain, located 36 meters east of Xiamafang, was established in the 10th year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (153 1). The front is engraved with the word "Shenlieshan" with double hooks. The original stele pavilion no longer exists, only the four-corner stone pillar foundation is left. The monument to Shenlie Mountain was erected when Zhongshan changed to Shenlie Mountain in Jiajing decade of Ming Dynasty. Further east, there is a lying monument at 17 meters, which is a "forbidden monument". Built in the 14th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (164 1), the inscription prohibits the damage to the nine forbidden monuments in Xiaoling and Ye Ling.
Dajinmen, Shengde Monument and Monument Pavilion: Dajinmen, more than 750 meters northwest of Xiamafang, is the first south gate of Xiaoling. Jinmen was originally a yellow glazed tile double-eaved building, with existing masonry walls, and the lower part was Sumitomo, with a width of 26.66 meters and a depth of 8.09 meters. There are three door openings in the wall, the middle door is 5.05 meters high and the left and right doors are 4.25 meters high. Shengde Monument Pavilion, located 70 meters north of Dajinmen, was written for Zhu Yuanzhang by Judy Yu Yongle, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty (14 13). The pavilion was built in the 11th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (14 13). Because its building plane is square, it is called "Sifang City" because the roof of the pavilion has been destroyed, and the built-in "Shengde Monument of Daming Tomb" built by Ming Taizu Judy for her father Zhu Yuanzhang. The original stele pavilion is a masonry structure with a square plane. The top of the pavilion has disappeared, and now there are only four walls, each with an arched doorway with a width of 5 meters, which looks like a castle, so it is commonly known as "Sifang City".
Shinto Stone Carvings: Sifang City travels about 100 meters to the northwest, crosses the Yu He River and enters Shinto. The greatest feature of Shinto in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum lies in the perfect combination of architecture and terrain. It is different from the straight Shinto of the tombs of past dynasties, but it is built in a winding layout completely according to the topography and mountains. Moreover, stone statues are placed at the nodes of each section to control the space and form a solemn atmosphere. The stone statue is made of a whole brick of the Six Dynasties, which won't sink for 600 years. Shinto extends from east to northwest, and there are six kinds of stone beasts, including lions, thorns, camels, elephants, unicorns and horses, each with two pairs, and 24 *** 12 pairs, each kneeling and waiting for the passage. These stone beasts reflect the etiquette requirements of the royal mausoleum, and each has its own profound meaning: the lion is the king of beasts, showing the majesty of the emperor, which is not only a symbol of imperial power, but also plays a role in suppressing evil spirits; Avenger is a kind of beast, with unicorn, lion's body and green hair. It is loyal and straightforward, and can distinguish right from wrong. It can use its horns to resist guilty people. Camel is a symbol of desert and tropics, which means that Daming has a vast territory and the emperor is surrounded by towns. Elephants are giants among animals. Its four legs are as strong as a rock, indicating the stability of the country. Kirin is the head of the legendary "four spirits", namely Lin, tortoise and dragon and phoenix. It is a benevolent beast with scales, no grass and no food. The man's name is Qi and the woman's name is Lin, symbolizing "the king of benevolence and righteousness", which is auspicious and bright. In ancient times, horses were important mounts for emperors to fight in the south and unify the whole country. Among the six stone beasts in the Shinto of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the elephant is the largest, weighing 80 tons. At that time, in order to transport these stone beasts to the Ming tombs, water was sprinkled on the road to freeze in winter, and thick bamboo and wood were used as rollers, and people pushed them along the way to complete the transportation task. This section of Shinto is now commonly known as Stone Statue Road, with a total length of 6 15 meters. At the end of the stone beast, Shinto turned due north and reached Lingxingmen, which is 250 meters long. There are stone pillars and statues in this part of Shinto. The two pillars are hexagonal and 6.6 meters high, with dragons carved on them. Usually, the watchtower is placed in front of Shinto, while the watchtower of Ming Tombs is placed in the middle of Shinto, which is also the uniqueness of Zhu Yuanzhang. There are two pairs of military commanders and two pairs of civil servants in Weng Zhong, and there are eight * * *, each with a height of 3. 18m.
Lingxingmen and Yu He Bridge: At the end of Shendao Road18m north, Lingxingmen no longer exists, leaving only six stone pillars. Judging from the remains, Lingxingmen should be a three-bay building. After crossing Lingxing Gate, turn northeast for 275 meters, which is Yu He Bridge, also called Jinshui Bridge. Yu He Bridge is a stone bridge with five holes at first, but now it has three holes. The stone components of the bridge foundation and the revetment on both sides of the river are original objects of the Ming Dynasty. Crossing the Yu He Bridge to the north and along the gentle slope, it is the main building of the mausoleum.
The second part: the main building of the Ming tomb bedroom. From the main entrance to Chongqiu, including Wenwufang Gate (the main entrance), Monument Hall, Enjoy Hall, Dashiqiao, Fangcheng, Minglou and Baoding, there are city walls.
Wu Wen Square Gate: The gate of Wu Wen Square is the main entrance of Xiaoling Mausoleum. It turns out that it has five openings, three big and two small, three arched openings in the middle and two rectangular openings on both sides. The top of the palace is covered with yellow glazed tiles. During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, it was converted into a doorway, engraved with the stone gate forehead and the word "Ming Tomb" in regular script. 1999 restoration, restored the original appearance of the Ming dynasty gate. Now there are five doors, namely, yellow tile, red door and red wall. There is a rectangular door hanging above the main entrance, and the four gold-plated characters "Wufangfang Gate" are erected. On the east side of the main entrance, there is a "Tegao" monument, which was built in the year of Xuantongyuan in Qing Dynasty (1909) to warn the precautions for protecting Xiaoling.
Memorial Hall: The memorial hall was originally the middle gate in front of Xiaoling Hall, that is, Xiaoling Gate. It turned out to be five doorways, but it was later destroyed. The existing memorial hall was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. This is a building with three bays, a red wall and small tiles. There is a door in the middle of the north and south, and there are five questions in the pavilion. According to "History of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum" and other books, there was a middle gate in the Ming Mausoleum, but it was destroyed by war. In the Qing Dynasty, the stele hall was rebuilt on the basis of Zhongmen, and five tall steles were erected. There is a big stone tablet in the middle, and there is a turtle carrying the stone tablet under it. Its stone turtle is different, and its neck is surprisingly short. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty visited the South six times in his life and visited the Ming Tombs five times. There are four gold-plated characters written on the stone tablet, namely "Governing the Tang and Song Dynasties". The stone tablet is 3.85m high,1.42m wide and 0.38m thick. "Governing the Tang and Song Dynasties" is to praise Ming Taizu's general plan of governing the country, surpassing Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin. This is the imperial title of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty when he visited Jiangnan Mausoleum for the third time in 1699. This is because the Qing Dynasty just ruled China, and in the early days of Kangxi's rule, the Han people refused to accept Manchu rule. In this historical background, Kangxi knew that it was not enough to rely solely on the high-handed policy, but also on the Han people. Therefore, Kangxi made six southern tours and paid a total of five visits to the Ming Tombs. This monument was carved by Cao Xueqin's grandfather and then doctor of Jiangning Weaving. Around the tablet of "Governing the Tang and Song Dynasties", there is also a poem tablet of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, including two lying tablets, one in the east engraved with the chronicle of Emperor Kangxi's first visit to the mausoleum, and the other in the west engraved with the chronicle of Emperor Kangxi's third visit to the mausoleum.
Appreciation Hall: Behind the monument hall is the main building of Xiaoling, namely the Appreciation Hall. The original Xiaoling Temple has been destroyed, and there is still a Sumitomo pedestal with a height of 3.03 meters, and there are 56 pillars on the pedestal. There are stone decapitated heads at the four corners of the abutment, three treads in front of and behind the main hall, and six large stone relief sculptures of Yunlong landscape. The base of the main hall is 57.30 meters long and 26.6 meters wide, which shows the grandeur of the building at that time. The original temples were dedicated to Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Huanghou. The existing building is a three-room appreciation hall rebuilt twice during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The present hall is the "Historical Materials Exhibition Room of Ming Tombs". Behind the temple 100 meters is Dashiqiao, also known as the Sage Bridge. After crossing the Dashiqiao, we arrived at the last part of Xiaoling's underground building, Fangcheng, Minglou and Baoding.
Fangcheng, Minglou and Baoding: Fangcheng is a huge building in front of Baoding, Xiaoling. Its exterior is made of big stones. It is 75.26 meters long from east to west, 30.94 meters wide from north to south, with a front height of 16.25 meters and a back height of 8. 13 meters, with Sumitomo at the bottom. There is an arch in the middle of Fangcheng, which leads to a round arch tunnel. There are 54 steps out of the tunnel, and the south wall of Baoding is in front of you, which is made of 13 layers of stones. It is obviously the work of later generations to carve "Ming Taizu's Tomb in this Mountain" in the middle. You can climb the Ming building along the trails on the left and right sides of Fangcheng. Above Fangcheng, the Ming building was originally a building with double eaves and yellow tiles. The roof has long been destroyed, leaving only four brick walls, which are 39.45 meters long from east to west and 18.47 meters wide from north to south. There are three arches in the south and 65,438+0 arches on the other three sides. To the north of Fangcheng Minglou is Chongqiu, which is about 400 meters straight. It is also called Baoding, where Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Huanghou lived. Baoding is roughly circular, formerly known as Dulongfu Mount Everest, surrounded by brick walls. During the period from 1998 to 1999, Nanjing Cultural Relics Bureau and other relevant departments adopted advanced precision magnetic survey to confirm that Zhu Yuanzhang's cemetery palace was deeply buried, well preserved and never stolen.
Liu, vice-president of Architectural History Society of China Architecture Society and professor of architecture at Southeast University, said: "The Ming Tombs represent the artistic achievements of royal architecture in the early Ming Dynasty and are the epitome of China mausoleum architecture and mausoleum culture." From the starting point, the Ming Mausoleum goes to Baoding, where the underground palace is located, with a depth of more than 2600 meters. There are more than 30 buildings and stone carvings with different styles and uses along the way. The overall layout is grand and orderly, the single building is heavy and majestic, and the detailed decoration technology is exquisite, which embodies the talents of politicians, artists and architects at that time.
The pioneer position of the Ming Tombs is also reflected in its winding mausoleum Shinto. The Shinto of the Mausoleum starts from Sifang City. Sifang City is a tablet pavilion, located between Wei Qiao and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. It is the "Monument to the Holy Merit of Daming Tomb" built for his father Zhu Yuanzhang in the third year of Yongle (AD 1405). Its top has been destroyed, leaving only a square wall, and there is a stone tablet on the turtle seat, which is 8. 78 meters high. Judy wrote an inscription of 2,746 words, detailing the merits and demerits of Ming Taizu. The pedestal and tablet are exquisitely carved. Shinto goes west through Waijinshui Bridge (now Hongqiao), bypasses Meihua Mountain and turns north, about 1800 meters long. Among them, the road section is Shi Xiang Road, and 12 pairs of stone animals are arranged in opposite directions, including six kinds of lions, camels, elephants and horses, with two pairs of each kind, and the posture is one pair falling and one pair opposing. Behind them are a pair of tall China watches, carved with Yunlong, with extraordinary momentum. There are four pairs of civil servants and military commanders in armor or embroidered robes on the Shinto, and some of them are damaged. Stone carving figures and animals are huge in size and are treasures of stone carving art in Ming Dynasty. Researcher Liang Baiquan, the former president of Nanjing Museum, said: "The Ming Tombs initiated the system of using Shinto as a tomb for later generations. Stone statues 12 pairs, stone statues 4 pairs, distributed on both sides of Shinto. The stone carving styles are diverse, the shapes are heavy and simple, and the overall grandeur and local exquisiteness are integrated, which also represents the highest level of stone carving art in China in the early Ming Dynasty. "
The Ming Tombs changed the layout of the square, platform, square wall, upper and lower palaces and horizontal axis of the imperial tombs in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and established a three-step courtyard system of "front facing and rear sleeping" for the first time according to the layout of the imperial palaces, creating the basic layout of the mausoleum buildings with "front and rear circles", and has been standardizing the construction specifications of more than 20 imperial tombs in the Ming and Qing Dynasties for more than 500 years.
Zhumen in the Ming Tombs faces south, facing Meihua Mountain, and the word "Ming Tombs" is written on his forehead. There is a stone carving on the east side of the gate, which was carved in six languages by Daotai and Jiangning Magistrate of Liangjiang Westernization Bureau during the reign of Xuan Tong in Qing Dynasty.
The four golden characters "Governing the Tang and Song Dynasties" were inscribed by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty during his third southern tour. There used to be two royal pavilions behind the stele pavilion, one in the west is called the sacrificial pavilion, and the other in the east is called the service hall. Now, they are all destroyed, leaving only a few stone pillars and stone fields. You can also see the foundations of 64 stone pillars on the original site of the temple, from which you can imagine that the scale of the temple is very large. The present Xiang Dian was rebuilt in the 12th year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1873), which is much smaller than the original one, and contains a portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang. After enjoying the temple, it is an open field with a depth of over 100 meters and a width of tens of meters. It used to be an open-air sacrificial place, with a tunnel in the middle and lush trees on both sides. There is a stone bridge at the end of the tunnel, called Dashiqiao, also called Sage Bridge, which means that crossing this bridge is the "fairy world".
The north of the bridge is a castle-like building with a width of 75 meters, a height of 16 meters and a depth of 3 1 meter. It is called Fangcheng, which is the last heavy building in the Ming Tombs. Fangcheng is made of large stones, with an arched inclined tunnel in the middle and steps to enter, with a total of 54 steps. There are stone steps from the tunnel to the top of the city. There used to be a palace-style building on the top of the city, and the top and wooden structure of the building have been destroyed. Now there are only four brick walls, three arches in the south and one arch on the other three sides. Looking from the top of Fangcheng, there are Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the east, Meihua Mountain in the south, Sun Yat-sen Botanical Garden in the west and Baoding in the north, surrounded by lush trees and pines, which does not prevent visitors from recalling the past. Baoding is a big dome with a diameter of about 400 meters, which is the underground palace where Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Huanghou were buried together. Surrounded by a stone wall, the South Stone Wall is engraved with seven characters "This Mountain is Ming Taizu's Tomb". Meihua Mountain was buried here by Sun Quan and his wife, the monarch of Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period. It was called Sun Linggang in ancient times and is located 300 meters south of the Ming Tombs.