Two mounds
In one mausoleum.
Kallgan — Public domain · 三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三十三画生 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三十三画生 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三十三画生 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 三十三画生 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest single imperial tomb of the Ming dynasty, resting place of Prince Zhu Youyuan and his wife, the parents of the Jiajing Emperor; it is part of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, inscribed by UNESCO as World Heritage in 2000, and has been rated 5A since 2024. The prince was buried here in 1519 in a tomb fit for a prince; when his son took the throne in 1521, it was rebuilt as an imperial mausoleum, its new underground palace finished in 1539. That unusual history made it unlike any other Ming tomb: two burial mounds within one mausoleum, an outer wall shaped like a golden vase running over 3,600 metres, an imperial river with nine bends, a spirit way that winds like a dragon, and round ponds. Its buildings above ground burned in the wars at the end of the Ming, leaving the red walls and gates, glazed screen walls and the foundations of its halls. Tickets cost CNY 65, and it is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm, until 5.30 pm in high season, per visitor guides.
In one mausoleum.
Still standing.
Winding like a dragon.
Chunde hill, about 7.5 km north-east of Zhongxiang, Jingmen, Hubei
Choices are few in Zhongxiang; Jingmen city has restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign, while Hubei cooking uses a lot of pork, so ask about ingredients.