Ming Siling

Ming Siling

Ming Siling is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ming Siling, located at the southern foot of Luma Mountain (also known as Jinping Mountain or Jinpingbi Mountain) in the southwestern corner of the Ming Tombs complex, is the joint burial mausoleum of the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian (reign title Chongzhen), his empress Zhou, and imperial concubine Tian. After the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, in order to win over the people and rally the Han landlord class to serve the Qing court, they initially named this tomb of Emperor Chongzhen and his consorts the "Siling" (Mausoleum of Remembrance) and relocated the remains of the Chongzhen Emperor and his consorts, constructing above-ground mausoleum structures. According to the Veritable Records of Shunzhi Emperor, the Qing court ordered the respectful relocation of the Chongzhen Emperor and his consorts and the construction of Siling's buildings, which took place in May of the first year of Shunzhi (1644).

Due to various reasons, the relocation, tunnel excavation, and construction of Siling faced significant challenges. Firstly, the project organization could not be quickly implemented. The project was originally supposed to be handled by the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Ceremonial, but the Ministry of Works was short-staffed and unable to take on the task. Although the Directorate of Ceremonial assigned three eunuchs—Ran Weizhao as supervisor, and Gao Tui and Wang Yingpin as managers—to oversee the work, they likely felt that "since there was no reward to expect nor punishment to fear regarding the former emperor’s affairs," they ignored the repeated exhortations of Cao Huachun, former chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial during the Ming Dynasty. Autumn passed into winter, and with the approach of the winter solstice, work had still not begun. As a result, Cao Huachun had to submit a memorial in November of the first year of Shunzhi (1644), stating: "According to ritual, one should mourn for a former ruler. I wonder how the ministers can disregard this? Moreover, although the weather is cold, the earth remains warm, and tunnel excavation could still proceed now to properly house the imperial coffin. The setting up of steles and pavilions can wait until next spring. But if we delay further, every day of procrastination wastes a day of sacred duty. How can we face the clear decree to complete the work swiftly? I earnestly beg Your Majesty to issue strict orders to the Directorate of Ceremonial to proceed to the mausoleum without delay, begin tunnel excavation immediately, and construct the pavilion and stele next spring. Do not use excuses to postpone the work… Only then can the imperial grace be trusted and righteousness be upheld for generations to come, without leaving any regret. Your humble servant also asks: 'The order to promptly complete Siling has been issued. How can the Directorate of Ceremonial neglect it? Ran Weizhao and others may be temporarily spared, but they must proceed to the site immediately to begin tunnel excavation. The rest can be completed next spring. Should there be further delays, severe punishment will be imposed.'" Secondly, the necessary funds for the project could not be delivered on time. Under the stern decree of the Shunzhi Emperor, Ran Weizhao and others had no choice but to quickly go to the construction site. On November 29, they began excavating the tunnel, and stone quarrying for Siling also commenced. At the time, there were three projects meant to proceed simultaneously: the construction of Siling, the reburial of Empress Zhang in Deling, and the reburial of Wanli’s consort Liu in Yinqianshan. The estimated cost for all three projects was 3,000 taels of silver. The source of the funds was originally decreed to be 1,500 taels from the rental income of the mausoleum lands, and 1,500 taels from donations by civil and military officials and palace eunuchs. However, by December of that year, although the land rents had been collected, it was unclear where the construction funds would come from. The donated silver from officials fell short by more than half. Thus, at the start of the project, the Ministry of Works only had 1,000 taels, and only 110 taels had actually been delivered to the site. As a result, Cao Huachun, along with former chief scribe eunuchs Che Yingkui and Wang Dehua, attending eunuchs Wang Zhijun and Lu Weining, had to send a document to the Neige (Inner Cabinet) in December of that year, urging the dispatch of the silver.

Under the urging of Cao Huachun and others, in September of the second year of Shunzhi (1645), the reburial and related works of Siling were finally completed. On the tenth, the Minister of Works Xing Neng submitted a memorial, requesting permission to use the remaining silver to build an incense hall. On the twelfth, the Shunzhi Emperor responded: "Understood. The Ministry of Works should deliberate on the use of the remaining funds and report back. So be it." On October 27, Wu Sangui, Prince Pingxi, donated another 1,000 taels of silver to aid the construction of Siling, allowing the project to be temporarily concluded. In August of the eleventh year of Shunzhi, the renowned Qing scholar Tan Qian visited Siling and recorded its architectural layout in his book Beiyoubu Lu (Records of the Northern Journey): "The southern wall of the perimeter is sixty paces wide. The central gate is twelve feet tall, with doors on both sides, but the right door is locked… Inside the wall, there are three wing rooms on each side, each less than thirty feet tall. The altar inside holds the spirit tablet of Emperor Huizong of Ming (the Chongzhen Emperor, referring to the Hall of Worship). Walking north along the wall, there is another enclosing wall. Its gate and wing rooms are similar to the previous ones. In the center is a stele pavilion inscribed with ‘Huizong Huanding Emperor’s Mausoleum,’ with the seal script heading ‘Great Ming.’ … Entering this wall, after clearing five zhang of ground, there is a stone pit, five inches deep and several feet square, used for burning silk offerings. North of the pit are five stone-made ritual objects for incense burning. A few steps further in, there is a horizontal stone table holding five stone fruit plates. The resting place of the ‘Dragon’s Soul’ is covered with three to four feet of earth, overgrown with weeds and thorny jujube trees." The same book, in the section "Record of Siling," also describes the Hall of Worship at Siling as having "three bays (three rooms)" and housing the "spirit tablet of the late emperor"; the stele pavilion (referred to as the “inner hall”) has a plaque with the gold-inked characters “Siling.” The stone stele inside the pavilion also has the words “Great Ming” in gold, and the inscription reads “Huizong Huanding Emperor’s Mausoleum.”

The Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian (February 6, 1611 – April 25, 1644), of Han ethnicity, was the seventeenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the last emperor of the Ming as a unified regime. He was the fifth son of the Ming Guangzong Emperor and the younger half-brother of the Ming Xizong Emperor, with his mother being the virtuous consort Lady Liu.

In the second year of Tianqi (1622), he was appointed as the Prince of Xin, and in the seventh year of Tianqi (1627), he ascended the throne, adopting the reign title Chongzhen (1628–1644), and later became known as the Chongzhen Emperor.

After ascending the throne, the Chongzhen Emperor vigorously purged the eunuch clique, was diligent in governance, lived frugally, and issued six self-criticizing edicts. More details about Zhu Youjian ++

Shisanling Town: a township under the jurisdiction of Changping County. Established as Tailingyuan Township in 1956, renamed Shisanling Commune in 1958, and became Shisanling Township in 1982. Located in the northern part of the county, 1 km from the county seat. Covers an area of 67.9 square kilometers, with a population of 14,000. National Highways 108 and 110 pass through. Administers 16 village committees including Jian Tou, Shipailou, Nanxin Village, Xiānrén Dòng, Dàgōngmén, Kānglíngyuán, Wáng Zhuāng, Tàilíngyuán, Hú Zhuāng, Xīshānkǒu, Xiǎogōngmén, Dàolíng Jiān, Wànniángfén, Déshèngkǒu, Guǒ Zhuāng, and Chánglíngyuán, and one neighborhood committee, Beixin Village. One of Beijing’s top ten fruit-producing townships, known for its mopan persimmons... More details about Shisanling Town ++

Ming Thirteen Tombs Scenic Area

Ming Yongling

Ming Xianling

Ming Zhaoling (Thirteen Tombs - Zhaoling)

Ming Kangling

Ming Yuling

Ming Qingling

Ming Tailing

Ming Jingling

Ming Maoling

Ming Changling

Ming Dingling

Ming Deling