How was the Site of the Ming Tombs Chosen? -- Beijing Destination Guide

How was the Site of the Ming Tombs Chosen? - Beijing Destination Guide


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How was the Site of the Ming Tombs Chosen?

Inscriptions on tortoise shells showed that the Chinese word for tombs had the same meaning with the word "nothing" which means buring underground and being void.

Confucius considered it necessary to earth up and build a tomb as a sign for the coming generations to pay tributes to their ancestors, since then, tombs evolved in the grave ground and their sizes differed according to their rank of the dead. The tomb of the emperor was the largest and most sumptuous. Actually, it was a mausoleum.

Although Beijing has been a capital city for five dynasties, the tombs of the Ming emperors are the only ones in the modern Beijing. The tombs of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) are in northeastern China, and those of the Qing emperors (1644-1911) are 125 Km away from Beijing. The Tombs of the Jin emperors were destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty. The tombs of the Yuan emperors didn't survive either.

Yuan emperors didn't have any mausolemns. The reason was quite simple: Yuan Emperors were all nomads from the Mongolian Steppe, they held the belief that they should return to earth after death, because earth was where they bad come from. They simply placed the dead inside a hollowed Nanmu tree, which was then buried under the grassland soon it would be difficult to find any traces of the tomb.

However, the Ming Emperors were Han Chinese who believed the existance of an after-world, where the dead would live a life similar to that of the living. Therefore, Ming emperors bad grand mausoleums built for themselves in the Ming Dynasty, the mausoleums had become a big building which has a square walled city called Baochen in the front and a precious top called Baoding in the back.

The Mausoleum area is composed of 13 tombs for the Ming emperors, each of which was built between a hill and a stream. The site was chosen with the greatest care, taking the feng shui (heavenly wind and earthly water) into account.

Before moving the capital to Beijing, Ming Chengzu, Zhu Di, sent people to Beijing to select proper site for mausoleum, they spent three years traveling around Beijing and through figuring out the intention of the emperor, considered that the small basin at the foot of Huang Tu Hill, 10 Km north of Changping Town, with an area of 40 square kilometer, was ideal site of geomantic omen.

Zhu Di himself inspected the site, be found out the place was broad in space, screened by hills, having deep clear water, slow flows, and thick earth and infinite build of vision. In the north it neighbours the Juyongguan Pass, in the south is Changping City, an army could be stationed here to guard the mausoleums and defend Beijing. The geomancers suggested that from geomantic point of view, the site was rare and ideal. Zhu Di was satisfied and ordered starting construction of Mausoleum. He renamed Huang Tu Hill as the Hill of Heavenly Longevity.

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Beijing Ming Tombs Tours

Badaling Great Wall & Ming Tombs Bus Tour --- from US$ 17
As a Chinese proverb goes, 'If not been on the Great Wall, not a great man.' On this full-day tour, you will climb the Badaling Great Wall, visit Ming Tombs unbeatable Beijing Coach tour package, Departure daily.

Underground Palace (Dingling), Mutianyu Great Wall & Olympic Stadium Bus Tour --- from US$ 30
Visit the underground palace in the Ming Tombs (Dingling), then enjoy the most beautiful & green section of the Great Wall, return to downtown for an exterior visit of Olympic Stadiums, the Bird's Nest & the Water Cube. Departure: daily.

Ming Tombs and Badaling Great Wall Private Day Tour --- from US$ 38
Valuable one day private tour package covers the trip to the Great Wall and Ming Tomb, enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

Mutianyu Great Wall and Ming Tombs Private Day Tour --- from US$ 45
You can visit the world famous Mutianyu Great Wall, the most beautiful and green section of the Great Wall in Beijing, and Ming Tombs.

Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs (Ding Tomb) & Sacred Way Private Day Tour --- from US$ 60
This 1 day private tour covers the trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, The Ming Tombs (Ding Tomb) and Sacred Way, enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

4-Day Beijing Private Tour Package --- from US$ 92
4-day private tour package covers airport transfer & the trip to the attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Badaling Great Wall, Ming tombs & Peking Duck Dinner

Beijing Classic 2-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$ 104
The 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace.

Special 4-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$ 105
Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Beijing Mongolian Hot Pot, Chinese Acrobatics Show, Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Wangfujing Walking Street, Donghuamen Cuisines Street, Temple of Heaven, Imperial Court Food.

5-Day Beijing Private Tour Package --- from US$ 112
5-day private tour package covers airport transfer & the trip to the attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Chinese Kungfu show, Badaling Great Wall, Ming tombs, Peking Duck Dinner, Summer Palace & Beijing Hutong by rickshaw

Popular 5-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$ 126
Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Peking Roast Duck, Acrobatics Show, Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Temple of Heaven, Imperial Court Food, Beihai Park, Jingshan Park, Wangfujing Walking Street, Donghuamen Cuisines Stree.

4-Day Kaichuang Golden Street Business Hotel Coach Tour Package --- from US$ 151
Pick up from airport to hotel, join 2-day Beijing Badaling Great Wall & Forbidden City Coach Tour & Including 3-night Kaichuang Golden Street Business Hotel(3 star, including breakfast) accommodation & Pick up from hotel to the airport.

Xingang to Beijing 2-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$ 194
Pick up from Xingang to Beijing, 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs. Then transfer from hotel to Xingang Port.

4-Day Beijing Wangfujing Grand Hotel Tour Package --- from US$ 202
Pick up from airport to hotel, join 2-day Beijing Badaling Great Wall & Forbidden City Coach Tour & Including 3-night Beijing Wangfujing Grand Hotel (5 star, including breakfast) accommodation, then pick up from hotel to the airport.

4 Day Jianguo Garden Hotel Tour Package --- from US$ 220
Pick up from airport to hotel, join 2-day Beijing Badaling Great Wall & Forbidden City Coach Tour & Including 3-night Jianguo Garden Hotel (5 star, including breakfast) accommodation & Pick up from hotel to the airport.

Xingang to Beijing & 1-night in Wangfujing Grand Hotel Private Tour Package --- from US$ 239
Pick up from Xingang to Beijing, stay in Beijing Wangfujing Grand Hotel 1 night and 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs. Then transfer from hotel to Xingang Port.

Beijing to Xingang 4-Day Wangfujing Grand Hotel Coach Tour Package --- from US$ 265
Pick up from Beijing airport, stay in Beijing Wangfujing Grand Hotel 3 nights and 2-day Beijing Badaling Great Wall & Forbidden City Coach Tour, then transfer to Xingang Port in Tianjin.

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