Beijing opens 2 more mausoleums of Ming emperors to public

An undated file picture shows the entrance of Dingling Mausoleum at the Ming's Thirteen Tombs (Shisanling) located north of Beijing. (Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two emperors' mausoleums in Beijing have recently opened to the public, meaning that six out of the 13 tombs in the Changping District belonging to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperors are now accessible to the public, according to the management organization of the tombs.

The two mausoleums belong to Emperor Jiajing and his consorts, as well as Emperor Chongzhen and his consorts.

According to Yuan Jiangyu, vice director of the management center of the Ming Tombs in Changping, the fortress-shaped Minglou Tower in Jiajing's mausoleum was built with exquisite materials. Its eaves, rafters and arches resemble wood, but they are actually made of stone.

The mausoleum of Chongzhen, the last emperor of Ming Dynasty, is the smallest among the Ming Tombs. It was built on the renovation of his concubines' tomb, bearing rich historical information, said Yuan.

According to the management center, all the 13 emperors' mausoleums are expected to be fully accessible by 2030.

Currently, the mausoleum of Jiajing can be visited on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by appointment, while that of Chongzhen can be visited on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Each mausoleum has a maximum of 20 appointments per day. It is expected that the reception capacity will gradually expand based on the number of reservations and the progress of tomb repairs, said Yuan.