Visit the Ming Tomb, the most luxurious mausoleum in the Ming Dynasty.

Located in Chunde Mountain, 7.5 kilometers northeast of Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province, the Ming Xianling Mausoleum is the joint tomb of Zhu Shiyuan, the father of Emperor Jiajing of Ming Shizong, and Empress Zhang, the mother. Zhu Shiyuan was originally the king of Xing. After joining the Great Unification, he respected his father as the emperor and expanded the original tomb of Wang in Zhongxiang, Hubei Province into the tomb of Xi 'an. Ming Xianling Mausoleum was founded in the 14th year of Zhengde in Ming Dynasty (15 19) and completed in the 45th year of Jiajing (1566). The buildings in the mausoleum area are surrounded by mountains and rivers, which set each other off and become interesting, and the layout is ingenious, just like "a perfect combination of architectural art and natural aesthetics".

In 2000, the Ming Tombs, the Qing Dongling Mausoleum and the Qing Xiling Mausoleum were listed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the first time. In 2003, the Ming Tombs were listed in the World Heritage List as the expansion project of the Ming and Qing emperors' tombs. In 2004, the Three Tombs of Shengjing (Yongling, Fuling and Zhaoling) were listed in the World Heritage List as the expansion project of imperial tombs of the ming and qing dynasties.

Zhu Shiyuan (1476— 15 19): Ming Xianzong's fourth son, the father of Ming Shizong, the half-brother of Ming Xiaozong, his biological mother is not, and his wife is Jiang. In the twenty-third year of Chenghua, 1487 was named Xing Wang. On September 18th, Hongzhi seven years, 1494, I was in Anluzhou (now Zhongxiang City). Zheng De died on June 17th in the 14th year (15 19). Posthumous title introduces the king. Buried in the northeast of Zhongxiang City, buried in Songlin Mountain in the northeast of Zhongxiang City (named Chunde Mountain in the tenth year of Jiajing).

According to the Ming History, Zhu Shiyuan "loves poetry books, never plays with treasures, does not entertain women, and does not entertain public funds on holidays". He is a more studious and less extravagant prince. After his death in Xing Dynasty, he abided by his ancestral teachings and served the court all his life.

Zhu Shiyuan's grandfather was Zhu Qizhen, his father was Zhu Jianshen, his brother was Zhu Shitang, his son was Emperor Jiajing. In fact, the owner of the fairy has never been an emperor for a day, and when he was buried, he could only build it according to the tomb level of the vassal king. Who knows that three years later, his son Zhu Houzong became the heir of the emperor, and regardless of the opposition of courtiers, he launched a "grand ceremony" to respect his biological father Zhu Shiyuan as emperor, and upgraded and rebuilt the original tomb of the vassal king with the mausoleum regulations. Since then, Emperor Jiajing honored his father as Emperor Gong Rui, and changed the tomb into a mausoleum, and began a large-scale reconstruction and expansion project, which lasted for 47 years until it was completed in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing (1566). The Ming Tombs are the product of the great historical event "Gift" in the early years of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty. They have unique planning layout and architectural technology, and play a connecting role in the regulation of the Ming Tombs.

After Zhu Houzong proclaimed himself emperor, he inherited this system alone, regardless of the opposition of courtiers, and ratified his biological father Zhu Shiyuan as emperor. In October of the sixteenth year of Zheng De (152 1), Zhu Shiyuan was promoted to Xing. After Zhu Shiyuan proclaimed himself emperor, Xingyuan Mausoleum was upgraded according to the Mausoleum Regulations. In April of the second year of Jiajing (1523), the original black tiles on Xingxian King's tomb were replaced by yellow glazed tiles, and the Lu Shen Bridge was built. In the third year of Jiajing (1524), in March, the tomb was officially renamed as apparition. The expansion project was not finally completed until September in the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing (1559). In September of the 45th year of Jiajing (1566), Zhang Shouzhi, assistant minister of Zuogong Department, rebuilt the Temple of Grace, and the construction of Xianling came to an end.

The overall architectural pattern of the Ming Tombs looks like a giant "Aquarius". There are high walls around the mausoleum, which are opposite to the wall of the mausoleum palace, and are called outer Luocheng and inner Luocheng respectively. The whole cemetery is a feudal twin city. Wailuocheng is more than 3,600 meters long, with a wall height of 6 meters and a wall thickness of 1.8 meters. Red walls and yellow tiles, majestic, winding in the mountains. It is the most complete mural in the tombs of emperors in China. The Ming Tombs consist of more than 30 large buildings. There are Chunde Mountain Monument, Imperial Monument, Outer Tang Ming Monument, Ma Xia Monument, New Hong Men, Old Hong Men Monument Building, Wang Zhu, Stone Statue Shou, Lingxingmen, Jiuqu Yu He, Neimingtang, Yienmen and Mausoleum Gate.

One day many years ago, we drove to the Ming Tombs. The first thing we saw was that the gate of the Mausoleum was Xinhongmen, and the pond on the left facing the Xinhongmen was Waimingtang. There is a stone tablet at the entrance of Xinhongmen, named "Dismount", engraved with eight characters "Officials and others dismount here", which is said to have been written by Yan Song, the prime minister of Jiajing period.

The new Red Gate is the gateway to Wailuocheng and the sign of the entrance to the Epiphany Mausoleum. When we entered the new Red Gate, we saw that the new Red Gate deviated from the central axis. Walking through a winding road paved with bluestone pebbles, there is a stone bridge made of white marble in front. After crossing this first stone bridge, we arrived at the Old Red Gate (Zhenghongmen), with red walls and yellow tiles, and rested at the top of the mountain. Width18m, depth 7.8m, three holes in the ticket door. The old red gate was the gateway to the tomb of the fairy king. Looking back, the new and old double red doors are not on a central axis. Cross the second stone bridge not far from the center of the Old Red Gate, and you will see the tall Gong Rui Shengde Monument Pavilion standing in front of you. The plane layout is square, with the width and depth of18.3m, covering an area of 334m. There is a white marble pedestal with a stone Mount Sumi and a double-eaved peak with ticket gates on all sides. In the middle of it is the "Gong Rui Shengde Empire Monument", the first turtle of the dragon. The inscription was written by Emperor Jiajing, praising his father. The head of the monument is four staggered dragons, and the base is a turtle-shaped beast with its head held high and overlooking. It is said that the tortoise is one of the nine sons of the dragon, who naturally likes to live a long life and especially likes to carry loads.

After seeing the Gong Rui Shengde Monument Pavilion, the third stone bridge is not far to the north. This bridge is connected with Shinto. There are two tall white marble pillars on both sides of Shinto, which are 12 meters high. The lower part is square sumeru, and the column is hexagonal. There is a cylindrical Yunlong relief meter on the second floor belt cloud disk. According to legend, the stone pillar in the east is called "Wang" and the stone pillar in the west is called "Wang", which is arranged in the order of sunrise and sunset, reflecting people's desire for the "son of heaven". The stone carving behind the stone pillar is called Shi Xiangsheng, which is the epitome of imperial power. The first pair is a lion, followed by a lion, a camel, a recumbent elephant, a crouching unicorn, a standing unicorn, a horse and a recumbent horse. Two pairs of military commanders, a pair of civil servants and a pair of ministers are all carved from a whole piece of white marble, with vivid shapes and orderly arrangement.

At the end of the stone statue is Xingxingmen, which consists of six pillars, three doors and four walls. It is a wood-like building made of bricks, stones and colored glass. The width is 24.43 meters, the middle door is high, and the doors on both sides are slightly short. Each stone pillar is carved with a unicorn, and there are drum-hugging stones in front of and behind the square pillar. There is a Sumitomo under the screen wall, covered with yellow glazed tiles, and the foreheads of the Ming and second rooms are decorated with clouds and flaming balls, so it is also called "flaming archway". According to Yongle Dadian, "there are star gates in the temple, and the holy gates are like Tianmen". So the gate is Tianmen, which means that the emperor's soul will go to heaven after passing this gate. Of course, this is just a good wish.

After crossing the Lingxing Gate and the fourth stone bridge, you will see a winding Shinto, like a dragon winding forward. The slate paved in the middle is called "Dragon Ridge", the cobblestones paved on both sides are called "Longlin", the outside is called "Longlin Road", and the whole Shinto is called "Longlin Shinto". Contrary to the principle of symmetry and straightness, Shinto bends into a prosperous shape, which is a one-stop Shinto and a sign that this tomb is different from other Ming tombs.

Cross the fifth stone bridge on the Yu He River, and the pond in front of you is Neimingtang. Neimingtang is located in the center of the square in front of the gate of Thorne. It was built in the sixth year of Jiajing (1527). Neimingtang is circular with a diameter of 33 meters and a water depth of about 4 meters. It's a masonry structure with blue bricks and pebbles around the pond. The construction of Neiming Pool here not only reduces the water level of underground Gong Xuan, but also contains the metaphorical meaning of "Dragon Ball". If the curved Shinto is a dry dragon, then the Jiuqu Yu He is a water dragon, and the two dragons meet here, forming a pattern of double dragons playing pearls, which conforms to the requirements of the geomantic concept of "harmony between Yin and Yang". Jiuqu Yu He, known locally as "Jiuqu River", is the main drainage facility of Xianling Mausoleum, and its "curved and tangible" form is obviously combined with Feng Shui intention. There is a pavilion on both sides of Neiming Hall, namely "Chunde Mountain Festival" and "Wen Rui Pavilion".

Bypass Neimingtang and come to Finn's gate, which is the main entrance of Nello. This is a broken wall. There are two walls on both sides of the gate, which are called shadow walls. The upper part is tile eaves, the lower part is glass imitation wood component, and the lower part is sumeru. On the front of the screen wall, there is a pattern of Qionghua, and on the back, there is a pattern of Shuanglong, which means that the hidden dragon protects life. Entering Enmen is the Temple of Grace, which is the main place for holding sacrificial activities. Although the main hall was destroyed by war, only the stone foundation was preserved, which can still witness the majestic momentum of the main hall. There are five halls on each side of the main hall, leaving only the stone foundation. Yunlong carved marble, apron head and cloister railing in front of Long 'entang Bridge are exquisite and beautiful.

The door behind the Grace Hall is called the tomb door, which is only for emperors, queens and princesses to enter. Behind the tomb door is a two-pillar door, and now only the stone pillars are left. The stone pillars are carved with holy horses to guard the tomb. Behind the two pillars is Shi Wugong. The fifteenth palace is a special platform for emperors, queens and princesses to worship the mausoleum. It consists of an incense burner, two candlesticks and two vases, all carved with blue and white stones, which are very beautiful.

Bypassing the Stone Five Sacrifices, there are Fangcheng and Minglou. The Ming building is the tallest and largest gatehouse building in the cemetery, with the word "fairy" hanging on it, which is the landmark building of the whole mausoleum. The width and depth of the Ming building are 65,438+07 meters. It is located on the top of the mountain, with double eaves and four gates. There is a stone tablet in the building, which reads "Gong Mingrui presents the imperial tomb", written by Emperor Jiajing of Ming Shizong.

The left and right sides of Fangcheng are connected with the front and back treasure cities, which is a huge tomb. Qianbao City is oval, and Houbao City is round. The coffin of Emperor Jiajing's parents was parked in the underground palace below. Qianbao City is oval, with a width of 1 12m from east to west and a length of 125m from north to south. Baoding is located in Baocheng, and Gong Xuan was built under Baoding in the 15th year of Zhengde (15 19). There is a crescent city between Baocheng and Fangcheng, which has a glass screen wall. The front and back Baocheng are connected by Yaotai. Yaotai is rectangular, with a width of 1 1.5m and a depth of 40.5m The most distinctive and unique spectacle in the history of Chinese and foreign tombs is one tomb and two tombs, and there are two tombs in one cemetery. In the seventeenth year of Jiajing (1538), Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng, the mother of Emperor Jiajing, died in Beijing. In order to find auspicious land for his mother, Emperor Jiajing visited Tianfu (Zhongxiang City) in the south in February of the following year. After visiting her father's mausoleum, he thought it was a rare treasure trove of feng shui and decided to send her mother's coffin from Beijing to Zhongxiang. However, after inspection, it was found that the underground palace where my father's coffin was parked had been flooded and was very small. So Jiajing ordered the Ministry of Industry to rebuild a new underground palace behind his father's original tomb to house his parents' coffins. In this way, from the original single burial tomb to the continuous expansion of Emperor Jiajing's reign for decades, it has become a large-scale double burial tomb.

Most of the building foundations in the cemetery use Sumitomo-style stone abutment, and the decorative patterns are simple and exquisite. Most of the stone coupons are white marble, carved with dragon patterns. The carving techniques of Yunlong single stroke, aproll in front of Yonghe Palace and the railing of cloister are particularly exquisite, which are typical works of stone carving art in Ming Dynasty. The uniqueness of the mausoleum is mainly due to the unique situation of one mausoleum and two mausoleums, which was formed by changing the mausoleum into the mausoleum, which is precious. The golden vase-shaped outer Luocheng, Jiuqu Yu He, Changlin Shinto, Qionghua Shuanglong glass screen, and the inner and outer Tang Ming in the mausoleum buildings are all isolated cases in the Ming Tombs, especially the mausoleum structure of "One Mausoleum and Two Mausoleums", which is unique in the tombs of emperors in past dynasties. The two dumbbell-shaped underground mysterious palaces connected by Yao and Tai are unpredictable and have always amazed the world.

The Ming Tombs are exquisitely laid out, with exquisite craft reliefs, and the buildings are hidden in the mountains and rivers, which set each other off as if they were made in heaven. The original architecture and environmental features of Ming Xian Mausoleum are well preserved, with large scale, unique mausoleum structure and rich cultural connotation, and it is called the bright pearl in China Mausoleum. Obviously Ling used a meandering Jiuqu River to skillfully exclude the water flowing from Chunde Mountain from the mausoleum area. According to the topography, Jiuqu River is equipped with dams to collect water and discharge flood, and there are clear water surfaces in each section, which purifies the environment in the mausoleum area. Walking up the steps along the Fangcheng wall and towards the Ming building, there is a feeling of crossing time and space. Standing at the highest point of the cemetery-Ming Lou. Looking around, the whole mausoleum is magnificent, with red walls and yellow tiles, broken walls and dragon-shaped Shinto winding in the rolling mountains and rivers, which is beautiful.

Sun Keqin writes articles and photographs.