Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
明孝陵 · Míng Xiàolíng
The tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant orphan who became the first emperor of the Ming, and of his wife Empress Ma. Built from 1381 to 1413 on Purple Mountain, it set the pattern for every imperial tomb of the next five centuries, and its winding Sacred Way, lined with stone elephants, camels and lions under ginkgo and maple, is one of the loveliest walks in Nanjing.
Photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Zhu Yuanzhang was born in 1328 to a poor family in Anhui; orphaned by famine, he became a monk, then a rebel, and in 1368 founded the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) with its capital at Nanjing. In 1381 he began his tomb on the southern slope of Purple Mountain, and the next year buried Empress Ma, his wife of many years, there. He joined her in 1398.
Breaking with older tombs laid out in straight lines, the Xiaoling follows the hills: its Sacred Way curves round a smaller hill where, the story goes, the emperor let the old king Sun Quan lie undisturbed. The plan of gate, stele hall, sacrificial hall, square tower and round mound became the model for the Ming tombs near Beijing and the tombs of the Qing (1644–1912). In 2003 it was added to the World Heritage list of Ming and Qing imperial tombs.
One ticket covers the Sacred Way and the tomb precinct; Meihua Hill is inside the same area. A 100-yuan combined ticket adds Linggu Temple, Meiling Palace and the Music Stage.
| Part | Ticket |
|---|---|
| Ming Xiaoling (Sacred Way, gates, tower, mound) | 70 yuan |
| Meihua Hill and Sun Quan's tomb | Included |
| Purple Mountain combined ticket | 100 yuan |
Six kinds of stone animals stand in pairs along the first stretch of the Sacred Way: lions, the horned xiezhi that knows right from wrong, camels, elephants, qilin and horses. Each kind appears twice, once crouching and once standing, as if keeping watch by day and night. They have stood here for over six hundred years.
Come in late autumn, when the ginkgo and maple turn the road gold and red, or very early in the morning, when it is free and quiet and joggers pass between the elephants.
"The tomb has been opened." The Treasure Mound has never been excavated; surveys show the burial chamber is intact.
"All Ming emperors are buried here." Only the founder; most of his successors lie in the Ming Tombs near Beijing.
We searched Chinese sources first for this list, then English ones.
Enter by Gate 5 for the whole ceremonial route, or Gate 3 near the metro for the Stone Elephant Road; allow three hours.
A roofless square pavilion holding the stele of 1413 on a great tortoise; the stele records the founder's deeds.
Twelve pairs of stone animals on a curving road.
A pair of pillars and four pairs of stone officials, military and civil, before the road turns north to the gates.
The main gate of the tomb precinct, and behind it the stele hall with Kangxi's inscription.
A massive brick platform with a tunnel through it, crowned by a tower; its bricks are stamped with the names of the towns and makers who fired them.
A round hill about 400 metres across, walled in brick, under which the emperor and empress lie; a stone at its foot reads "This hill is the tomb of the Ming founder".
Work on the tomb began in 1381, the year of the Peasants' Revolt in England.
| Year | Here | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| 1381 | Work on the tomb begins | The Peasants' Revolt shakes England |
| 1398 | The Hongwu Emperor is buried here | Timur sacks Delhi |
| 1413 | The stele of Divine Merit is set up | Henry V becomes king of England |
| 1699 | Kangxi leaves his inscription | The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the Great Turkish War |
| 2003 | Added to the World Heritage list of Ming and Qing tombs | Concorde makes its last commercial flight |
One line to remember: the first Ming emperor's tomb, where stone elephants have kept watch for six hundred years.
These are stories people tell about this place. They are legends, not history, and each one says where it comes from.
When the builders wanted to remove the tomb of Sun Quan, the 3rd-century king of Wu, which stood in the way of the Sacred Way, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Sun Quan was a hero too. Leave him to guard my gate." So the road bends round his hill.
Source: A Nanjing story told by guides
Later, people who live here will be able to add the stories they grew up with, and say which of these they have heard.
Last checked 2026-11-12. Price, combined ticket and hours from 2026 guides (Wander in China, Zhihu/SMZDM summaries of visitor guides).
Checked 2026-11-12
Opening hours are given in the local time of the place. Prices are in the local currency. The figure after ≈ is approximate, at exchange rates checked on 9 November 2026, in .
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