Wengzhong Road Sacred Way

Wengzhong Road Sacred Way

About 100 meters northwest from Sifangcheng and across the Imperial River, you will enter the Sacred Way. The most distinctive feature of the Ming Xiaoling Sacred Way is the perfect integration of architecture with the terrain. Unlike the straight paths found in imperial mausoleum sacred ways of previous dynasties, this one follows the natural contours of the hills and mountains, winding and curving along the landscape.

Wengzhong Road is situated at the end of the Stone Statues Road. Lined on both sides with pine and cypress trees, and solemnly guarded by stone figures known as Wengzhong, it thus earned the name “Wengzhong.” There are eight Wengzhong statues, divided into four pairs facing each other, each standing 4 meters tall with robust builds. Two pairs depict armor-clad generals holding golden shields; the other two are civil officials wearing official hats and holding ceremonial tablets. As an ancient verse goes: “Stone horses neigh in the wind as Wengzhong stand guard, as if still awaiting the midnight court assembly.” Regarding “Wengzhong,” there was indeed such a person in history. He was a powerful man during the Qin Shi Huang era named Ruan Wengzhong. Legend says he stood over thirteen feet tall and was exceptionally brave, prompting Emperor Qin to station him with troops at Lintao to deter the Xiongnu. After Ruan Wengzhong’s death, Qin Shi Huang had his likeness cast in bronze and erected outside the Sima Gate of Xianyang Palace. It is said that when Xiongnu envoys came to pay tribute in Xianyang, they saw the bronze figure from afar and, thinking it was the real Ruan Wengzhong, dared not approach. Since then, later rulers followed Qin Shi Huang’s example, referring to the bronze or stone figures placed before palaces, temples, and imperial tombs as “Wengzhong.”

Location

Wengzhong Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

At the foot of Wanzulong Peak (Play with Pearl Peak), south of Purple Mountain (Zhongshan Mountain), eastern suburbs of Nanjing