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History of Ming Tombs

Announcing the history of Ming Tombs

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the capital was in Nanjing (a city in southern China). The third Ming Emperor Zhudi realized that a peaceful northern boundary was important to the whole country. He decided to move the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Construction of the imperial palaces and temples took place from then on. Construction of the tombs started about the same time.

The following emperors of the Ming Dynasty also built their tombs in this area. In total, 13 emperors were buried in this place, also known as the "Thirteen Ming Tombs". The Ming Tombs cover an area of 40 square kilometers and the whole construction of the 13 tombs took more than 200 years.