MingDynastyTombs

　　StandingintheSpiritWayattheMingTombslookingbacktowardstheentrygate.TheMingDynastyTombs(Chinese:明朝十三陵;pinyin:Míngcháoshísānlíng;lit.ThirteenTombsoftheMingDynasty)arelocatedsome50kilometersdueNorthofBeijingatanespeciallyselectedsite.ThesitewaschosenbythethirdMingDynastyemperorYongle(1402-1424),whomovedtheCapitalCityofChinafromNanjingtothepresentlocationofBeijing.HeiscreditedwithenvisioningthelayoutoftheancientcityofBeijingaswellasanumberoflandmarksandmonumentslocatedtherein.AftertheconstructionoftheImperialPalace(theForbiddenCity)in1420,theYongleEmperorselectedhisburialsiteandcreatinghisownmausoleum.

　　FromtheYongleEmperoronwards,13MingDynastyEmperorswereburiedinthisarea.ThetombsofthefirsttwoMingEmperorsarelocatednearNanjing(thecapitalcityduringtheirreigns).EmperorJingtaiwasalsonotburiedhereastheEmperorTianshunhaddeniedJingtaianimperialburialbutwasinsteadburiedwestofBeijing.ThelastEmperorChongzhenwhohunghimselfinApril,1644wasthelasttobeburiedhere,namedSiLingbytheQingemperorbutonamuchsmallerscalethanhispredecessors.

　　DuringtheMingdynasty,thetombswereofflimitstocommonersbutin1644LiZicheng'sarmyransackedandsetmanyofthetombsonfirebeforeadvancingandcapturingBeijinginAprilofthatyear.