Ming Xiaoling Tomb of the Thirteen Tombs - Zhaoling

Ming Xiaoling Tomb of the Thirteen Tombs - Zhaoling

Ming Xiaoling Tomb of the Thirteen Tombs - Zhaoling is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ming Xiaoling Tomb is located at the eastern foot of Dayu Mountain. It is the joint burial mausoleum of the 12th emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Muzong Zhuangdi Zhu Zaihou, and his three empresses. Zhaoling is the first tomb in the Thirteen Tombs to undergo large-scale restoration and renovation, and it is also one of the officially open tourist sites in the tomb complex.

The Zhaoling mausoleum complex covers an architectural area of 35,000 square meters. It still retains the complete Leng’en Gate, Leng’en Hall, and their side halls on the east and west sides, as well as the Square City, Ming Tower, and the precious dome. It houses the remains of the 12th Ming emperor, Emperor Muzong Zhu Zaihou, and his three empresses. Emperor Muzong, whose reign title was Longqing (1537–1572), was a rather unremarkable emperor among the 16 rulers of the Ming Dynasty. He showed no interest in state affairs just six months after ascending the throne and never publicly expressed any political stance during his six-year reign. Although indifferent to governance, Emperor Muzong did not oppose the suggestions and actions of his ministers. For instance, the historically significant "Longqing Peace Treaty" was achieved with the support of his ministers. This treaty took place in the fifth year of Longqing (1571), and as a result, there were no major wars between the Han and Mongol peoples for over twenty years. The blank stele, carried by a stone turtle, stands in the stele pavilion in front of the Leng’en Gate—completely wordless, possibly because the emperor's merits and faults were difficult to judge. Visitors enjoy touching the stone turtle, and a local saying goes: “Touch the turtle’s head, and you’ll have a worry-free life; touch the turtle’s bottom, and you’ll never fall ill.”

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Zhaoling suffered two instances of destruction. In 1644, during wartime chaos, the Ming Tower was burned down. On March 5, 1695 (the 34th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty), during a violent storm with thunder and lightning, the Leng’en Hall and the side halls were struck by lightning and caught fire. The tomb guards tried desperately to put out the flames but managed to save only the side halls—the Leng’en Hall was completely destroyed. Over time, during the Qianlong era, the side halls and Leng’en Gate also fell into disrepair. Between the 50th and 52nd years of Qianlong’s reign (1785–1787), the Qing government renovated the Ming Thirteen Tombs to ease tensions. Zhaoling was also included in this restoration project. Based on site remains, the renovation work at that time only involved the Ming Tower, Leng’en Gate, and Leng’en Hall. Though this repair made the tomb complex slightly more complete, it altered the original architectural design.

The bracket sets of the Ming Tower originally followed the Ming system: double-eave, single-curved, double-rising, seven-tier brackets on the upper eave and double-rising, five-tier brackets on the lower eave. However, after the renovation, Zhaoling’s Ming Tower featured single-curved, single-rising, five-tier brackets on both the upper and lower eaves. Stone barrel-vaulted ceilings were also added inside the Ming Tower. Although the Leng’en Gate and Leng’en Hall were not significantly changed in terms of reconstruction time, their dimensions were reduced. The original Leng’en Hall had a width of five bays (30.38 meters) and a depth of four bays (16.77 meters). After the Qing reconstruction, while the number of bays remained unchanged, the width was reduced to 23.3 meters, and the depth was reduced to three bays (11.92 meters). The original Leng’en Gate had a width of three bays (18.44 meters) and a depth of two bays (8.04 meters); after the Qing reconstruction, its width was reduced to 12.52 meters and its depth to 6.77 meters. The side halls and the Divine Merit and Sage Virtue Stele Pavilion in front of the tomb were not rebuilt at all, and even the ruins were demolished. Only a perimeter wall was built around the old base of the stele pavilion. For the next 200 years, no repairs were undertaken. The once magnificent tomb buildings became desolate, leaving only the damaged Ming Tower and the surrounding walls.

To strengthen the protection and utilization of cultural relics, develop new tourist attractions, and enrich tourism offerings, with approval from relevant departments, the Thirteen Tombs Special Zone began preparations for the restoration of Zhaoling in June 1985, and official construction started in April 1987. The main restoration projects included replacing the wooden framework and roof decorations of the Ming Tower, as well as restoring the Leng’en Hall, Leng’en Gate, side halls, Divine Merit and Sage Virtue Stele Pavilion, Sacrificial Ritual Pavilion, Sacred Kitchen, and Sacred Storage. By August 1990, all projects except the Sacrificial Ritual Pavilion, Sacred Kitchen, and Sacred Storage were completed. On September 1, it officially opened to the public as a tourist attraction. In 1992, the Sacrificial Ritual Pavilion, Sacred Kitchen, and Sacred Storage were also completed. According to *Changping Mountain and Water Records*: “Each of the Thirteen Tombs has a Sacrificial Ritual Pavilion located to the left of the Leng’en Gate, facing west, with five halls, three side rooms each, one pavilion, and a blood pool. The outside is enclosed by a yellow-tiled wall, except for Changling, which has only one pavilion, without halls or side rooms.” Site clearance confirmed that the scale and structure of Zhaoling’s Sacrificial Ritual Pavilion, Sacred Kitchen, and Sacred Storage matched the historical records. Among them, the five halls refer to the main building of the Sacred Kitchen, and the side rooms refer to the Sacred Storage. The *Great Ming Code* notes that prior to Zhaoling, some tombs had either two or only one Sacred Storage on the left. Zhaoling had two. The restored Zhaoling features grand and resplendent architecture with a complete tomb layout. The Leng’en Hall also hosts the “Autumn Restoration Exhibition of Ming Zhaoling,” and the newly reconstructed Zhaoling Bridge and Divine Merit and Sage Virtue Stele Pavilion recreate the grandeur of autumn sacrificial ceremonies in the Ming Dynasty, with abundant offerings and complete musical instruments. The side halls on the left and right respectively display “Historical Materials of the Emperors and Empresses of Ming Zhaoling” and “Historical Materials of Imperial Tomb Burials of the Ming Dynasty,” introducing the buried individuals—Emperor Longqing and his three empresses Xiaoyi, Xia’an, and Xiaoding—as well as the burial standards of Ming princes and imperial concubines.

Attraction Location

Changling Thirteen Tombs Special Zone

Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty, known as Emperor Longqing, was named Zhu Zaihou. He was born on the 23rd day of the first lunar month in the 16th year of the Jiajing reign (1537). He was the third son of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jiajing, and his mother was Consort Du Kang. Due to the early deaths of Crown Prince Aichong Zhu Zaiji and Crown Prince Zhuangjing Zhu Zaihe, when Emperor Jiajing died in the 45th year of his reign (1566), Zhu Zaihou ascended the throne the following year, which was designated as the first year of the Longqing reign.

As his birth mother, Consort Du, lost favor and he was not the eldest son, Zhu Zaihou received little paternal affection in his childhood. In 1553, at just 16 years old, Zhu Zaihou moved out to live independently at the Prince of Yu’s residence. He spent 13 years at the residence... More details about Zhu Zaihou ++

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 kilometer 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, Shimaofang, Nanxin Village, Xiānrén Dòng, Dàgōngmén, Kānglíngyuán, Wángzhuāng, Tàilíngyuán, Húzhuāng, Xīshānkǒu, Xiǎogōngmén, Dàolíng Jiān, Wànniángfén, Déshèngkǒu, Guǒzhuāng, and Chánglíngyuán, plus one neighborhood committee, Beixin Village. One of Beijing’s top ten fruit-producing towns, known for its mopan persimmons... More details about Shisanling Town ++

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