The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum - Symbols of Jiangsu

The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the tomb in which Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the Empress Ma are buried. It lies at the southern foot of Purple Mountain, being the largest imperial mausoleum in Nanjing and in ancient China. As the largest mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, its great magnificence represents the highest achievement of architectural and stone-carving arts at the beginning of Ming Dynasty. It affected the shape and structure of imperial mausoleums for over 500 years during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It also played a special role in the developmental history of Chinese Imperial Mausoleums, and this is called the 'First Imperial Mausoleum of Ming and Qing Dynasties'. It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage in 2003.