Changling
is the head tomb of the thirteen Ming tombs, and also the largest one
of all. The third Ming Emperor Zhu Di, whose reign title was yongle,
was buried here together with his wife, Empress Xu. He ruled for 22
years from 1402 to 1424, and made great achievements in political, military,
economic, cultural and diplomatic fields.
Construction
Changling, built from 1409 to 1427, is located at the foot of the Heavenly
Longevity Hill.
Architecture
The buildings are square in the front part and round in the rear, representing
earth and heaven respectively. For earth was believed to be square and
heaven round. It is divided into three courtyards and the main buildings
arranged on the central axis are still standing there.
Ling¡¯en
Hall (the Hall of Eminent Favor)
Ling¡¯en Hall also called offerings hall, used to be the place to keep
memorial tablets inscribed with the names of deceased emperors. Sacrificial
ceremonies were held here too. The hall is supported by 60 pillars
made of nanmu (phoebe nanmu).
Discover more...
The
soul Tower
The soul Tower was built at the top of ¡°Square City¡± in front of the
earth mound. It is the mark of an imperial tomb. Above the gate is
a plaque inscribed with the name of the tomb, and inside the tower
is a stone tablet carved with characters ¡°Tomb of Emperor Cheng Zu
of the Great Ming¡±, Cheng Zu being the posthumous title of Emperor
Yongle.
Human
Sacrifice in Changling
According to historical records, there were 16 imperial concubines buried
alive
in the east and west ¡°pits¡± as funeral objects of the emperor. They
were called pits because they were vertical shafts without horizontal
tunnels. Discover more...
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