Dingling Tomb

Dingling Tomb is located at the foot of Dayu Mountain in Beijing. It is in the southwest of Changling Tomb in Ming Tombs. It is the tomb of the thirteenth emperor Zhu Yijun (Reign Wanli) in Ming dynasty. Except for the king, two queens are also buried too. The mausoleum was built in 1584 ~ 1590. The main buildings in Changling Tomb are Ling En Gate, Ling En Hall, Treasure Town, Ming Building and underground palaces. An area of 182,000 square meters. It is the only excavated tomb in Ming Tombs for visitors.

History
Dingling Tomb started to be built in AD 1584 and completed in AD1582. It took six years and a large sum of money. When the Tomb was finished construction, the Emperor was only 28 years old. The tomb was idle for 30 years and was officially used until 1620 when the kind died. It is one of the three largest tombs in Ming Tombs.

In AD 1644, Li Zicheng leading peasant army invaded Changping. Most of the wood buildings above the ground were burned. In the same year, the tomb suffered another damage from Qing Army. In AD 1785-1787, it was repaired by the emperor of Qing emperor. But it was destroyed again. Only Baocheng, Ming Building and some other buildings had not been severely damaged.

In 1956 -1957, Chinese archaeologists excavated some mysterious underground palace, and then the relevant departments repaired some ancient buildings. In 1959, Dingling Museum was built in this place. More than 3,000 pieces of historical relics was unearthed from Dingling Tomb, including gold, silver, jades, jewelries and other treasures.

About the Emperor Zhu Yijun and His Empresses
Zhu Yijun
zhu Yijun (1563-1563) is called Mingzong emperor in Ming Dynasty. He is the 13 emperor in Ming dynasty. Zhu yijun acceded to the throne at the age of 10. In his early reign, the country faced difficulty domestically and abroad, and the government was presided over by the cabinet Zhang Juzheng. In the early reign, he was busy in government affairs. He was the longest reigning emperor of the Ming dynasty with the 48 years of his reign.

Xiaoduan Empress
She is the first wife of Mingzong emperor. She was born in yuyao, Zhejiang Province. In February, 1578, she was titled for the queen. She was generous and kind mild. She was good to the mother of the emperor and she loved the emperor very much. She never cared about fighting against other imperial concubines of the emperor.

Xiaojing Empress
Xiaojing Empress was born in 1565 in jiajing. On 27 January, AD 1578, she was elected into the palace to take care of empress dowager. And then she became a wanted woman by the emperor.

Travel tips
Opening Hour: 8:00am – 5:00pm in busy season; 8:30am – 4:30pm in off season. By the way, the busy season is from November 1 to March 31 in the next year and the off season is from April 1 to October 31.

►Recommended Beijing Tour: 4 Days Best Beijing Tour
(Attractions: Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Changling Tomb)