Dingling is the tomb of the 13th Ming Emperor Wanli and his two wives. WanLi was born in 1563 and was chosen and named crown prince at the age of six. He succeeded the throne when he was ten years old and ruled for 48 years from 1573 to 1620. Emperor Wanli was buried in Dingling with his two wives. His first wife had no son and died only a few months before the emperor. The second one died in 1612, eight years before the emperors death and was buried in the nearby tomb for imperial concubines. Her son succeeded Emperor Wanli but died only 29 days after his enthronement. He left the throne to his son, the 15th Ming Emperor Tianqi (reigned 1621-1627) who promoted his grandmother, the second wife of Emperor Wanli, to the rank of Empress Dowager and he coffin was moved into the same tomb with deceased emperor.

Announcing the construction information
Construction of this tomb and the underground palace started in 1584 when Emperor Wanli was only 22 years old. It took six years to complete in 1590. The tomb was damaged in the peasant uprising in 1644, the year when the Ming Dynasty collapsed. It was not restored until the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong. In 1914, the Gate and the Hall of Eminent Favour were burned down again.

Details of excavating Dingling
DingLing is the only one of the Ming Tombs excavated so far. In early summer of 1956, the Chinese archaeologists began the excavation of the Underground Palace of Dingling. It took two years and was finished in 1958. Discover more...

Details of Marble door and The self-acting stone of Dingling
In the underground palace there are white marble doors, all similar in appearance. Each door slab weighed four tons and was made of a whole piece f marble, 3.3 meters high and 1.7 meter wide. Discover more...

Announcing the Precious Treasure of Dingling
More than 3000 pieces of precious treasure were unearthed in the underground palace and coffins of Dingling of Ming Tombs, including golden crown and four phoenix crowns for the emperor and the empresses. Discover more...

Beijing Tour Routes Covers Ming Tombs

Photo of Ming Tombs


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