Jing Tai Mausoleum

Jing Tai Mausoleum

Jing Tai Mausoleum is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jing Tai Mausoleum is located at Jinshan Pass in the northern part of Yuquan Mountain, Haidian District, Beijing. It is the mausoleum of Emperor Jing Tai Zhu Qiyu (1450–1458) of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Qiyu was the younger brother of Emperor Yingzong. In 1449, when Yingzong was captured by the remnants of the Mongol Yuan forces, Zhu Qiyu was appointed to rule in a time of crisis. He established the era name Jing Tai, defeated the Mongol Yuan remnants, and enabled Yingzong to return to the capital. After Yingzong regained the throne, he deposed Zhu Qiyu as a prince and had him buried after death with the rites of a prince in Jinshan Pass, west of the capital. It was not until the reign of Emperor Xianzong that the tomb was reconstructed according to the standards of an imperial mausoleum.

Jing Tai Mausoleum essentially retains the main architectural features and layout of imperial Ming tombs from the same period. The burial complex is divided into a front chamber and a rear chamber, both with hip-and-gable roofs. The front chamber is square-shaped, with the entire tomb passage measuring approximately 11 meters in length, making it relatively large in scale. The mausoleum originally included palaces, a divine kitchen, divine storehouse, animal-slaughtering pavilion, inner officials’ quarters, a stele pavilion, and most importantly, the Ling’en Hall of the imperial tomb. The treasure mound is located at the very rear of the tomb area. Currently, the site preserves the original central-axis structures such as the Imperial Stele Pavilion, Ling’en Hall, and parts of the treasure mound. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Location

Northern foot of Yuquan Mountain, Haidian District, Beijing

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Beijing

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units