Changling Mausoleum Chánglǐng Língyuán ​长岭陵园

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Changling Mausoleum Chánglǐng Língyuán ​长岭陵园 ◀ Central Asia–China Relations Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. Changling Mausoleum Chánglǐng Língyuán ​长岭陵园 The Changling Mausoleum is the resting place of the Ming Yongle Emperor (reigned 1403– 24), whose given name was Zhu Di and whose posthumous title is Chengzu. At 120,000 square meters, it is one of the grandest and certainly the best preserved of all of the Thir- teen Ming Tombs (shisan ling) that lie roughly 45 kilometers north of Beijing in a valley be- low the Tianshou Mountains. mperor Ming Yongle, or Zhu Di as he was known at birth, was an emperor of usurpation. He gained the title after a four-​­year war with his nephew, whom the first Ming emperor had chosen for the throne. Like the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which Zhu Di designated the Ming capital after his ascen- sion to the throne, the building of the Changling Mauso- leum was yet another project to legitimize Zhu Di as the true successor to the Ming emperorship, and Beijing as the true capital of the Ming Empire. The construction of Changling began in 1409. By 1413, Portrait of the Yongle emperor Zhu Di, for whom the underground tomb was completed. The exact struc- the Changling Mausoleum was built. Ink and ture of the Changling tomb is not known, but it is likely color on silk, by an anonymous painter, Ming dy- that it is similar in construction to the excavated Dingling nasty. Zhu Di, who usurped the throne from his tomb. Upon completion of the tomb, Zhu Di ordered the nephew, had the Changling Mausoleum built as a body of his empress Xu, which was being kept in Nan- way to legitimize his succession to Ming emper- jing, to be buried in the tomb chamber. The tomb was orship and Beijing as the true capital of the Ming covered with a large mound, or tumulus, which remains dynasty. undisturbed today. 298 © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC E Changling Mausoleum n Chánglǐng Língyuán n 长岭陵园 299 Hall of Eminent Favors, Tomb of the Yongle emperor (Zhu Di), Ming dynasty, re- cently renovated. This immense building is one of the largest wooden halls in Asia and, like the rest of the complex, has been extraordinarily preserved, partly because Mao Zedong paid a visit to Changling in 1954 and declared it a historical site. It was thereby spared the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Photo by Joan Lebold Cohen. Over the next fourteen years, workers continued Built upon a hillside, the ceremonial path through the to build the complex of ceremonial halls leading to the tomb complex leads northward and upward. Beyond the Changling tumulus. The entire complex runs roughly from entrance and to the right lies a double-​­eaved wooden pa- south to north, ending at the tumulus. It is approached al- vilion erected in 1542, housing a stele carried by a mythi- most directly from the Spirit Path (shen dao) upon which cal animal with a tortoise body symbolizing longevity and all emperors living or dead must be carried as they ap- with a coiling dragon on top. During the Ming, the stele proach the Thirteen Tombs. Following a slightly winding contained no epitaph, but during the Qing it was engraved road around 5 kilometers northward from the exit of the with imperial edicts and poems of Qing emperors, who Spirit Path, one reaches the entrance to Changling, a stan- sought to legitimize their own succession by honoring the dard ceremonial arched gateway with three entrances. Ming imperial tombs. The emperor would pass through the central entrance, The imperial pathway then passes through the Ling’en while nobles passed through the right entrance and of- Gate, an open hall with three entranceways. A set of stairs ficials through the left. The design of the Changling is leads to the gate on both sides. Upon the central stairway quite similar in ways to that of the Forbidden City, also over which the living emperor passed as he paid homage constructed under the Yongle reign. to his ancestors is a marble carving showing water, deer, © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC 300 Berkshire Encyclopedia of China 宝 库 山 中 华 全 书 mountains, and two dragons flying in clouds, symbolizing The hall is covered by a large double-eaved​­ rooftop, deco- imperial power or perhaps the soul of the emperor in the rated with images of dragons and other mythical crea- afterlife. Two sacrificial burners lie on either side of the tures. Supporting the roof are sixty columns constructed north exit of the gate, which faces into a large square sec- out of nanmu, a fragrant cedar indigenous to southwest- tion containing the Ling’en ceremonial hall. These burners ern China. It took about five years on average for each tree were meant for silk, money, and other combustible items to be transported to the northern tomb, which helps to that could be sent on to the afterlife by burning them. explain why it took workers another four years after the This Ling’en hall is a uniquely preserved feature of emperor’s death to complete this building and the tomb Changling and by far its most distinguished. It is the sec- complex. During the Ming dynasty, the Yongle emperor’s ond largest hall of its type that still survives from the Ming spirit tablet was kept in the hall, and during ceremonies dynasty. The hall is elevated and is approached by a set of such as Yongle’s birthday, the living emperor, nobles, and stairs with marble balustrades. Like the halls of the For- officials would give food and other offerings to the spirit bidden City, there are three tiers, the lower symbolizing tablets of the emperor and empress. hell, the middle earth, and the higher heaven. A marble Having passed through the Ling’en hall, one enters pathway built for the emperor lies upon the middle stair. through a simple gateway known as a “stargazing gate” to Altar in front of the stele tower, Tomb of Emperor Zhu Di (the Yongle emperor). Vessels used for offerings were usually made of lacquer, metal, or ceramic, but here they have been fashioned for posterity out of marble. The central vessel simulates a censer (incense burner) in a ding tripod shape. The sculptor has formalized the vaporous emissions, like a great conical hat. A dragon resides in this cloud. Photo by Joan Lebold Cohen. © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC Changling Mausoleum n Chánglǐng Língyuán n 长岭陵园 301 Detail of the wooden ceil- ing of the Hall of Emi- nent Favors. The ceiling, like those in the Imperial Palace, is coffered and brightly painted. Golden dragons writhe within the coffers and on the cross beams. Photo by Joan Lebold Cohen. the Soul Tower, a pavilion built atop a tall stone edifice to Nanjing, others remarked that the imperial tomb was containing a stele commemorating the Yongle Emperor. already in the area of Beijing, thus justifying remaining Before the Soul Tower is a marble altar containing five there despite the ill omen. In this sense, Changling was ceremonial objects—​­the last step in the ritual process the anchor that held the capital in Beijing. of obeisance to the spirit of the emperor. A passageway One of the reasons that the tomb complex is so well leads through the fortification and around the other side preserved is that Mao Zedong paid a visit to Changling in to the Soul Tower. Behind the Soul Tower lies the tumu- 1954, thereby consecrating it as a historical site and pre- lus, which is still undisturbed. serving it from the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. The Changling Mausoleum provided the basic blue- Andrew FIELD print for the construction of the subsequent twelve sur- rounding Ming tombs, though they all differ in detail. Further Reading Some scholars speculate that were it not for the construc- Bai Bo. (2006). Atlas of world heritage: China. San Fran- tion of Changling, Beijing may not have remained the cisco: Long River Press. imperial capital, as it was vulnerable to attacks from the Changjian Guo & Jianzhi Song. (2003). World Heritage Mongols. Moreover, in 1421, the year that Zhu Di finally Sites in China. 五洲传播出版社 [Wuzhou: China In- led the imperial retinue to the new capital from Nanjing, tercontinental Press]. some palaces in the newly built Forbidden City were Howard, A. F., Li Song, Wu Hung, & Yang Hong. (2006). struck by lightning and burnt down. While some offi- Chinese sculpture. New Haven, CT: Yale University cials saw this as a bad omen and suggested moving back Press. CHEN Cheng ▶ © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC.
Recommended publications
  • Conservation in China Issue, Spring 2016
    SPRING 2016 CONSERVATION IN CHINA A Note from the Director For over twenty-five years, it has been the Getty Conservation Institute’s great privilege to work with colleagues in China engaged in the conservation of cultural heritage. During this quarter century and more of professional engagement, China has undergone tremendous changes in its social, economic, and cultural life—changes that have included significant advance- ments in the conservation field. In this period of transformation, many Chinese cultural heritage institutions and organizations have striven to establish clear priorities and to engage in significant projects designed to further conservation and management of their nation’s extraordinary cultural resources. We at the GCI have admiration and respect for both the progress and the vision represented in these efforts and are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage in China. The contents of this edition of Conservation Perspectives are a reflection of our activities in China and of the evolution of policies and methods in the work of Chinese conservation professionals and organizations. The feature article offers Photo: Anna Flavin, GCI a concise view of GCI involvement in several long-term conservation projects in China. Authored by Neville Agnew, Martha Demas, and Lorinda Wong— members of the Institute’s China team—the article describes Institute work at sites across the country, including the Imperial Mountain Resort at Chengde, the Yungang Grottoes, and, most extensively, the Mogao Grottoes. Integrated with much of this work has been our participation in the development of the China Principles, a set of national guide- lines for cultural heritage conservation and management that respect and reflect Chinese traditions and approaches to conservation.
    [Show full text]
  • Ming China As a Gunpowder Empire: Military Technology, Politics, and Fiscal Administration, 1350-1620 Weicong Duan Washington University in St
    Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations Arts & Sciences Winter 12-15-2018 Ming China As A Gunpowder Empire: Military Technology, Politics, And Fiscal Administration, 1350-1620 Weicong Duan Washington University in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds Part of the Asian History Commons, and the Asian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Duan, Weicong, "Ming China As A Gunpowder Empire: Military Technology, Politics, And Fiscal Administration, 1350-1620" (2018). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1719. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1719 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts & Sciences at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Dissertation Examination Committee: Steven B. Miles, Chair Christine Johnson Peter Kastor Zhao Ma Hayrettin Yücesoy Ming China as a Gunpowder Empire: Military Technology, Politics, and Fiscal Administration, 1350-1620 by Weicong Duan A dissertation presented to The Graduate School of of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2018 St. Louis, Missouri © 2018,
    [Show full text]
  • Apollo and Ming Fleets
    Hegemony, Social Fields, and Symbolic Capital: The Apollo Project and the Ming Treasure Fleets Paul Musgrave University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Daniel H. Nexon Georgetown University Wow. So draft. Much rough. Such comments, yes. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to a goal of “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”1 Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo project landed six manned spacecraft on the lunar surface, but in 1972 President Richard Nixon terminated the program and significantly rolled back the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) budget. In 1405, the Yongle emperor of the Ming Dynasty, authorized the first of several massive naval expeditions from China to the Indian Ocean. After a final voyage under the Xuande emperor in 1433, the expeditions ended forever. These two projects remain linked in the popular imagination. For advocates of space exploration, the Zheng He treasure fleets stand as a cautionary tale of what happens to a great power when it stops exploration of the frontier.2 The fate of the Chinese treasure fleets also figures as a trope for anti-isolationists: for them, the end of the expeditions serves as a marker for the Ming Dynasty’s inward turn, which they see as resulting in China’s eventual ‘century of humiliation’ at the hands of more adventuresome western powers.3 But beyond these rhetorical invocations, what implications does the comparison between the two projects entail for the study of international relations? We argue that they shed light on the politics of international hierarchy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Imperial Tomb Tablet of the Great Ming
    The Imperial Tomb Tablet of the Great Ming 大明皇陵之碑 With translation into English, annotations and commentary by Laurie Dennis October 2017 The town of Fengyang 凤阳, to the north of Anhui Province in the heart of China, may seem at first glance to be an ordinary, and rather unremarkable, provincial outpost. But carefully preserved in a park southwest of the town lies a key site for the Ming Dynasty, which ruled the Middle Kingdom from 1368 until 1644. Fengyang is where the eventual dynastic founder lost most of his family to the plague demons. This founder, Zhu Yuanzhang 朱元璋, was a grieving and impoverished peasant youth when he buried his parents and brother and nephew on a remote hillside near the town that he later expanded, renamed, and tried (unsuccessfully) to make his dynastic capital. Though Zhu had to leave his home to survive in the aftermath of the burial, he was a filial son, and regretted not being able to tend his family graves. Soon after becoming emperor, he transformed his family’s unmarked plots into a grand imperial cemetery for the House of Zhu, flanked by imposing statues (see the photo above, taken in 2006). He ordered that a stone tablet be placed before the graves, and carved with the words he wanted his descendants to read and ponder for generation after generation. The focus of this monograph is my translation of this remarkable text. The stele inscribed with the words of Zhu Yuanzhang, known as the Imperial Tomb Tablet of the Great Ming 大明皇陵之碑, or the Huangling Bei, stands over 7 meters high and is borne on the back of a stone turtle.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Chinese Bronze
    READ ONLY/NO DOWNLOAD Ar chaeolo gy of the Archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age is a synthesis of recent Chinese archaeological work on the second millennium BCE—the period Ch associated with China’s first dynasties and East Asia’s first “states.” With a inese focus on early China’s great metropolitan centers in the Central Plains Archaeology and their hinterlands, this work attempts to contextualize them within Br their wider zones of interaction from the Yangtze to the edge of the onze of the Chinese Bronze Age Mongolian steppe, and from the Yellow Sea to the Tibetan plateau and the Gansu corridor. Analyzing the complexity of early Chinese culture Ag From Erlitou to Anyang history, and the variety and development of its urban formations, e Roderick Campbell explores East Asia’s divergent developmental paths and re-examines its deep past to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of China’s Early Bronze Age. Campbell On the front cover: Zun in the shape of a water buffalo, Huadong Tomb 54 ( image courtesy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute for Archaeology). MONOGRAPH 79 COTSEN INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY PRESS Roderick B. Campbell READ ONLY/NO DOWNLOAD Archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age From Erlitou to Anyang Roderick B. Campbell READ ONLY/NO DOWNLOAD Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press Monographs Contributions in Field Research and Current Issues in Archaeological Method and Theory Monograph 78 Monograph 77 Monograph 76 Visions of Tiwanaku Advances in Titicaca Basin The Dead Tell Tales Alexei Vranich and Charles Archaeology–2 María Cecilia Lozada and Stanish (eds.) Alexei Vranich and Abigail R.
    [Show full text]
  • The Interaction Between Ethnic Relations and State Power: a Structural Impediment to the Industrialization of China, 1850-1911
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Georgia State University Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Sociology Dissertations Department of Sociology 5-27-2008 The nI teraction between Ethnic Relations and State Power: A Structural Impediment to the Industrialization of China, 1850-1911 Wei Li Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Li, Wei, "The nI teraction between Ethnic Relations and State Power: A Structural Impediment to the Industrialization of China, 1850-1911." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2008. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss/33 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Sociology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN ETHNIC RELATIONS AND STATE POWER: A STRUCTURAL IMPEDIMENT TO THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF CHINA, 1850-1911 by WEI LI Under the Direction of Toshi Kii ABSTRACT The case of late Qing China is of great importance to theories of economic development. This study examines the question of why China’s industrialization was slow between 1865 and 1895 as compared to contemporary Japan’s. Industrialization is measured on four dimensions: sea transport, railway, communications, and the cotton textile industry. I trace the difference between China’s and Japan’s industrialization to government leadership, which includes three aspects: direct governmental investment, government policies at the macro-level, and specific measures and actions to assist selected companies and industries.
    [Show full text]
  • Pagodas & Pavilions
    Pagodas & Pavilions China Itinerary Beijing (4), Xi’an (2), Option Shanghai (2) DAY 1 Board your flight and journey to China, crossing traditional China as pictured in silk-screen prints. the International Dateline. DAY 6 XI’AN Fly to Xi’an, the great ancient capital and DAY 2 BEIJING Welcome to the fascinating and the eastern end of the Silk Road, the main trade route ancient land of China! Arrive in the capital city of Beijing between China, central Asia and Europe. Upon arrival, and transfer to your hotel. Relax, unpack and prepare for enjoy a Xi’an City Tour. See the eight mile long ancient a fabulous week in the world’s most populous country, city wall, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower and other the “country of the dragon.” highlights. Visit the 7-story Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Highlights DAY 3 BEIJING Explore the magnificent Temple of the Ci’en Temple. • Temple of Heaven Heaven, an architectural wonder built entirely without DAY 7 XI’AN The accidental discovery of the gigantic • Beijing City nails. The building’s shapes, colors, and materials all tomb of the first emperor, Qin Shinhuang, revealed the have a special purpose and meaning. This was the aspiration of the king who attempted to perpetuate his • Tour site where the Emperors conducted their most sacred power to the afterlife. Visit the Horse Museum where • Great Wall rituals. The walled park offers you a chance to view the over 7,000 life-size Terra Cotta Warriors and their horses Chinese at play, since many families practice Tai Chi, guard have been guarding the emperor’s tomb for • Ming Tombs juggle, exercise, dance, and picnic here.
    [Show full text]
  • Langdon Warner at Dunhuang: What Really Happened? by Justin M
    ISSN 2152-7237 (print) ISSN 2153-2060 (online) The Silk Road Volume 11 2013 Contents In Memoriam ........................................................................................................................................................... [iii] Langdon Warner at Dunhuang: What Really Happened? by Justin M. Jacobs ............................................................................................................................ 1 Metallurgy and Technology of the Hunnic Gold Hoard from Nagyszéksós, by Alessandra Giumlia-Mair ......................................................................................................... 12 New Discoveries of Rock Art in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor and Pamir: A Preliminary Study, by John Mock .................................................................................................................................. 36 On the Interpretation of Certain Images on Deer Stones, by Sergei S. Miniaev ....................................................................................................................... 54 Tamgas, a Code of the Steppes. Identity Marks and Writing among the Ancient Iranians, by Niccolò Manassero .................................................................................................................... 60 Some Observations on Depictions of Early Turkic Costume, by Sergey A. Yatsenko .................................................................................................................... 70 The Relations between China and India
    [Show full text]
  • By Cao Cunxin
    Introduction On a cold December night in Quedlinburg, Germany, in 1589, thirty-two women were burnt at the stake, accused of possessing mysterious powers that enabled them to perform evil deeds. Thousands of people were similarly persecuted between the fifteenth and the seventeenth centuries.1 However, this event was not unique, as fifty years earlier on a rainy night in August, 1549, ninety-seven maritime merchants were beheaded on the coast of Zhejiang 浙江 province for violation of the Ming maritime prohibition. In addition, 117,000 coastal people were immediately ban- ished from their homes to prevent them from going to sea. Thousands of Chinese and foreign merchants lost their lives in the subsequent military campaigns in support of the maritime interdiction. 2 If historians were asked to list the early modern phenomena that have most „disturbed‟ their academic rationale, the two centuries-long witch-hunt in early modern Europe (1500–1700) and the 200 year term of the maritime prohibition, or “hajin 海禁” (1372–1568), during the Ming dynasty (1368––1644) would probably be near the top of the list. For the past few centuries, scholars have debated vigorously the two phenomena and tried to iden- tify the factors that led to their formation, maintenance and eventual change. While the study of the witch-hunt has generated a degree of consensus, there are still many questions surrounding the Ming maritime prohibition. The maritime prohibition policy, introduced in 1371 by the newly enthroned Ming founder, the Hongwu Emperor 洪武 (r. 1368–1398), was institutionalised to maintain systematic control over foreign contact and foreign trade relations.
    [Show full text]
  • How Zhang Juzheng Dominated China, 1572‒82
    Ideas, Determination, Power: How Zhang Juzheng Dominated China, 1572–82 Handwritten pencil manuscript on scrap paper, left unfinished by John W. Dardess. Transcribed by Bruce M. Tindall Edited (lightly) by Sarah Schneewind and Bruce M. Tindall © The Estate of John W. Dardess, 2021 The ms. and notes have been deposited with the library of the University of Kansas. The ms. contains many long paraphrases and quotations, the two not always clearly distinguished. Generally, unless we are sure that the passage is a direct quotation, we have marked it as “in paraphrase.” Researchers wishing to quote should consult the original passages. Numbers in curly brackets { } show where a new page of the handwritten ms. begins, but many complications (backs of pages, interpolated additions, etc.) are not noted. We have reorganized silently where needed, and added section headings. We have silently corrected where it leaves the sense unchanged; other additions, as well as question marks showing that we cannot quite read a word, are in square brackets [ ]. Square brackets also mark words we could not read at all. In the notes, we silently filled in information where certain of the reference. Abstract: Zhang Juzheng (1525-1582) was psychologically the most complex of Ming China’s chief grand secretaries. His rise owed something to an appealing combination of brilliance with diffidence and humility. He was learned, and mastered the literary arts of memorization, comprehension, and interpretation, and the articulation of these things in a clear and creative way in writing. But learning, for Zhang, was never enough. One’s learning, if thoroughly and conscientiously come by, must somehow find its appropriate impact and end in the rectified governance of a realm that after functioning in a faltering way for two centuries had developed some very serious problems.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MING VOYAGES a Teaching Unit
    Recording the Grandeur of the Qing: The Southern Inspection Tour Scrolls ASIAN TOPICS IN WORLD HISTORY of the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors Asia for Educators | Columbia University THE MING VOYAGES A Teaching Unit Prepared by Dr. Sue Gronewald, Specialist in Chinese History for Asia for Educators Online | http://afe.easia.columbia.edu The Voyages of Zheng He From 1405 until 1433, the Chinese imperial eunuch Zheng He led seven ocean expeditions for the Ming emperor that are unmatched in world history. These missions were astonishing as much for their distance as for their size: during the first ones, Zheng He traveled all the way from China to Southeast Asia and then on to India, all the way to major trading sites on India's southwest coast. In his fourth voyage, he traveled to the Persian Gulf. But for the three last voyages, Zheng went even further, all the way to the east coast of Africa. This was impressive enough, but Chinese merchants had traveled this far before. What was even more impressive about these voyages was that they were done with hundreds of huge ships and tens of thousands of sailors and other passengers. Over sixty of the three hundred seventeen ships on the first voyage were enormous "Treasure Ships," sailing vessels over 400 hundred feet long, 160 feet wide, with several stories, nine masts and twelve sails, and luxurious staterooms complete with balconies. The likes of these ships had never before been seen in the world, and it would not be until World War I that such an armada would be assembled again.
    [Show full text]
  • Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
    WHC Nomination Documentation File Name: 1004.pdf UNESCO Region: ASIA AND THE PACIFIC __________________________________________________________________________________________________ SITE NAME: Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties DA TE OF INSCRIPTION: 2nd December 2000 STATE PARTY: CHINA CRITERIA: C (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (vi) DECISION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: Criterion (i):The harmonious integration of remarkable architectural groups in a natural environment chosen to meet the criteria of geomancy (Fengshui) makes the Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs masterpieces of human creative genius. Criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv):The imperial mausolea are outstanding testimony to a cultural and architectural tradition that for over five hundred years dominated this part of the world; by reason of their integration into the natural environment, they make up a unique ensemble of cultural landscapes. Criterion (vi):The Ming and Qing Tombs are dazzling illustrations of the beliefs, world view, and geomantic theories of Fengshui prevalent in feudal China. They have served as burial edifices for illustrious personages and as the theatre for major events that have marked the history of China. The Committee took note, with appreciation, of the State Party's intention to nominate the Mingshaoling Mausoleum at Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) and the Changping complex in the future as an extention to the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS The Ming and Qing imperial tombs are natural sites modified by human influence, carefully chosen according to the principles of geomancy (Fengshui) to house numerous buildings of traditional architectural design and decoration. They illustrate the continuity over five centuries of a world view and concept of power specific to feudal China.
    [Show full text]