Ming tombs

The Ming Tombs are the necropolis of thirteen of the sixteen Ming-dynasty emperors, set 50 kilometres north-west of Beijing at the foot of Mount Tianshou. The complex was begun in 1409 under the Yongle Emperor and follows strict feng-shui logic: mountains in the north, a watercourse in the south, a wide processional avenue between. The monumental Spirit Way, lined with 36 stone figures of officials, elephants, camels and mythical beasts, led the emperors' souls into the afterlife. UNESCO inscribed the site in 2003 as an extension of the Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs. Today the above-ground Changling and the excavated Dingling underground chamber are the main visits. Easy to combine with the Mutianyu Great Wall on a day trip from Beijing.