Zhu Di moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing and during his twenty-four years on the dragon throne he brought China to the peak of its power, wealth and global prestige. He is buried in the first and grandest of the thirteen Ming Tombs, the Chang Ling.

The Divine Merit Stele Pavilion and a huí biăo, one of the most iconic features of classical Chinese architecture, on the Sacred Way, the approach to the Ming Tombs. The column is smothered in carvings of stylised clouds while a massive, five clawed dragon twines itself around the shaft from the base to the top, where two wing-like cloud formations protrude. At the apex of the column sits a mythical creature called a wàng tiān hŏu, which has all the physical characteristics of a dragon but with a distinctive, flowing mane. It is one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon and it symbolises the will of heaven being sent to humans and the condition of the people being reported back to the heavens. This photograph was taken in 1924 by Sidney Gamble, a British engineer who lived in Beijing for many years.

The statue stands over three meters tall and is carved from a single block of white marble. The Ming Tombs are approached by an 800-meter Spirit Road flanked on both sides by a procession of marble statues of animals and humans.

In addition to adhering closely to the principles of classical architecture when designing their funerary buildings the Ming emperors also followed such norms for the layout of mausoleums as south-north axes, walled courtyards, restrictive gateways and a hierarchy of structures whereby the most important building was always placed at the northernmost point of the site and the size and heights of the structures gradually increased as the main structural element was approached. Hence the formal entry portal, known as the Gate of Eminent Favour, was dominated by the ceremonial hall, the Hall of Eminent Favour, which was in turn dominated by the mausoleum’s northernmost structure, the Soul Tower which stood before the burial mound.

Photo of the Hall of Eminent Favour of the Chang Ling, tomb of the third Ming emperor, Zhu Di. Funerary rites for a deceased emperor and annual ancestor veneration ceremonies were held in the Hall of Eminent Favour of a tomb. This photo was taken by the Scottish photographer and traveller John Thomson in 1894.

The Hall of Eminent Favour of the Chang Ling is the most important structure in the Ming Tombs necropolis. Its significance is accentuated by the architectural device of a double roof.

Its occupant, the Hongzi emperor (r.1424-25), died after only nine months on the throne.

The Mao Ling is the last resting place of the Chenghua emperor who ruled from 1464 to 1487.

The Mao Ling is the last resting place of the Chenghua emperor who ruled from 1464 to 1487.

The grave stele pavilion or Soul Tower of the Tai Ling, tomb of Zhu Youtang, who ruled as the Hongzhi emperor from 1487 to 1505.

The Zhao Ling, tomb of the Longqing emperor (r.1567-72), has been completely restored.

The Ding Ling, tomb of the Wanli emperor who ruled from 1572 to 1620. The steps lead up to the platform on which the Hall of Eminent Favour once stood. The Soul Tower rises in the background. The Ding Ling is the only tomb in the necropolis that has been excavated.

The underground burial chamber of the Ding Ling with the coffins of the Wanli emperor, Empress Xiaojian and Empress Xiaoduan as they were found by the archaeologists who opened the tomb in 1956.

The double eave Pavilion of Merit and Virtue houses a stele that signifies the meritorious deeds and lofty moral integrity of the Longqing emperor.

The gold winged crown (jīn sī yì shàn guān) of the Wanli emperor. It is twenty-five centimeters high with a diameter of eighteen centimeters and it weighs eight hundred and twenty-six grams. The mesh cap has been woven from a single strand of two millimetre thick gold thread.

The Wanli emperor’s black winged crown (wū shā yì shàn guān). It is twenty-four centimeters high, nineteen centimeters in diameter and weighs three hundred and eight grams. The cap is made of an extremely fine bamboo thread that has been lacquered in black and covered in a double layer of finely woven black yarn.

The ‘six dragon three phoenix’ crown (liù lóng sān fēng) of the Empress Wang Xiaoduan. It has five hundred and forty-nine pearls, seventy-one rubies and fifty-seven sapphires. Kingfisher feathers were painstakingly cut and glued onto gilt silver in a process called diăn cuì, “dotting with kingfishers”. The effect was that of cloisonné, though no enamel could match the electric blue colour of the feathers.

A ‘nine dragons nine phoenixes’ crown (jĭu lóng jĭu fēng) belonging to Empress Wang Xiaojing. It is twenty-seven centimeters high, twenty-four centimeters in diameter and weighs 2.32 kilos. It is sewn with over one hundred rubies and five hundred pearls.