General Introduction to the Mausoleum of the Ming Ancestors

Historical records show that the Mausoleum of the Ming Ancestors was grand in scale and magnificent in appearance. The rectangular mausoleum runs along a north-south axis. It was enclosed by two city walls. The outer earthen wall stretches for 9 li and 30 paces in circumference, while the inner brick wall measures 4 li and 10 paces.

The complex features four city gates, each with three bays; a main hall of five bays, a robing hall of six bays, one red gate, one sacrificial furnace, one Lingxing Gate, a divine kitchen of three bays, three east side rooms, three west side rooms, eighteen service rooms, three meditation rooms, three storehouses, one animal slaughter pavilion and one Golden Water Bridge. Entering through the west gate of the mausoleum, visitors would pass three stone bridges before reaching the Water Accumulation Pavilion to the north. Further north stand another divine kitchen, animal slaughter pavilion, main sacrificial hall and side halls.

Lining both sides of the sacred avenue are 21 pairs of large stone sculptures arranged symmetrically from south to north: two pairs of kylins, six pairs of stone lions, two pairs of ornamental pillars, two pairs of grooms, one pair of horse attendants, one pair of horses, three pairs of civil officials, two pairs of military generals and two pairs of eunuchs. More than 70,000 trees were planted around the mausoleum.

After its completion, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang would lead his imperial guards from Nanjing every Qingming Festival to hold grand ancestor worship ceremonies. A dismounting road extended for 20 li leading to the mausoleum.

In the 19th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1680 AD), the mausoleum was submerged by catastrophic floods and sank to the bottom of Hongze Lake. In 1963, the lake water receded, and the ruins gradually emerged.

Six coffins lie side by side in the underground chamber. The central ones hold the clothes and artifacts of Zhu Yuanzhang's paternal grandparents, with those of his great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents placed on either side. All coffins contain imperial python robes, jade belts, phoenix coronets and embroidered capes, proving they are clothes tombs. The physical remains of Zhu Yuanzhang's grandparents were buried on a nearby high ridge. When constructing the mausoleum, Zhu Yuanzhang dared not relocate their remains, fearing it would disrupt the spiritual dragon vein and ruin the geomantic fortune, hence he built the clothes tombs beside the original burial site.

The 21 pairs of towering stone statues, each over three meters high, stand neatly along the sacred avenue. Their formation resembles civil and military officials lining up to attend an imperial audience, presenting an imposing spectacle.