Ming Prince of Chu Tombs

Ming Prince of Chu Tombs

The Ming Prince of Chu Tombs are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ming Dynasty. Located on Longquan Mountain in Jiangxia District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Covering an area of approximately 7.6 million square meters. A cluster of imperial tombs of the Princes of Chu from the Ming Dynasty.

Tianma Peak and Yuping Peak of Longquan Mountain encircle each other, forming a small gourd-shaped basin. Successive Princes of Chu from the Ming Dynasty were all buried here. In the third year of the Hongwu era (1370), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, enfeoffed his sixth son, Zhu Zhen, as the Prince of Chu, with his fief in Wuchang. During his lifetime, Zhu Zhen designated Longquan Mountain as a “fairyland” and turned it into his “burial mountain.” In the 14th year of the Hongwu era (1381), the construction of the royal tomb complex began on Longquan Mountain, and guards and caretakers were assigned to protect the imperial tombs. “Commoners were not allowed to walk inside the mountain, nor were carts or horses permitted to tread outside the mountain.” Following Zhu Zhen, eight generations of nine princes inherited the title, continuing until the end of the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, when Zhang Xianzhong captured Wuchang, the tomb area suffered severe damage. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, local residents surnamed Zhu repaired parts of the structures within the tomb area.

The nine imperial tombs of the Princes of Chu are all located in the valley formed between Tianma Peak and Yuping Peak. The Zhao and Xian tomb complexes are situated on the southern foothills of Tianma Peak, while the Zhuang, Min, Gong, Jing, Duan, He, and Kang tomb complexes are located on the northern foothills of Yuping Peak. The overall layout and architecture of the nine tomb complexes follow the regulations of Ming imperial mausoleums, featuring inner and outer walls, imperial paths, central spirit roads, stele pavilions, Golden Water Bridges, and offering halls. The Zhao Tomb Complex is the burial site of Zhu Zhen, covering an area of approximately 113,000 square meters. The complex stretches 353.3 meters from north to south and 321.4 meters from east to west, with five gates. Inside the stele pavilion stands a stone stele erected in the 12th year of the Zhengtong era (1447), standing 7 meters tall with a dragon-headed top inscribed with four seal characters reading “Stele of Prince Zhuang of Chu.” The stele bears 30 lines and 1,265 characters documenting Zhu Zhen’s life. The underground chamber was excavated in 1990.

In 2001, the State Council designated it as part of the fifth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units