明十三陵 2：明十三陵概况及长陵 general information of the thirteen ming tombs and tomb of 长陵①历史沿革 history of the ming tombThe ming tomb are located ate the foot of the longevity hill in 昌平 district. There are a total of 13 ming emperor buried here so it was called the thirteen ming tombs. In 1407 empress xu died . Emperor 朱棣 decided to bury her in Beijing, he sent a 风水 master to find the best spot for the imperial burial ground, in 1409 the ground was finally chosen. This area was encircled by mountains on 3 sides. Rolling hills form a natural protection screen to the north , dragon hill on the east and tiger hill on the west, one side was opened to the Beijing plain in the south ,while 温榆 river flowed by from the northwest,so the 风水 master suggested that such a place was really considered as an auspicious area and really the best spot for the imperial burial ground. Emperor 朱棣 was greatly satisfied . He changed the name of yellow earth hill to heavenly longevity hill and ordered the construction of his tomb 长陵. The thirteen ming tombs took more than 200 years to complete. There were 2 reasons why 朱棣 moved the capital from 南京 to 北京:one is since emperor 朱棣 had stayed in Beijing for a long time before he dame to the throne ,he missed his former headquarters, the other reason is in order to resist the Mongolian force and strengthen his control to he whole country.②今日十三陵 the ming tombs todayThe ming tombs covers a area of 80 square kilometers with 13 ming emperor and 23 empresses, it has a history of 600 years since the construction of 长陵. These tombs are the best preserved in China.③明成祖朱棣 emperor 朱棣 长陵 is the 3rd ming emperor 朱棣 ’s tomb. He is the forth son of emperor 朱元璋,after he usurped the power from his nephew,he ruled China for 22 years and died in 1424 when he was buried in 长陵 with his wife empress xu. The outstanding achievements made by emperor 朱棣 are :永乐 encyclopedia and sending 郑和 to trade with the west. Among China’s historical heritage sites listed by unesco 4 of them were made by emperor 朱棣,include the forbidden city,the temple of heaven and the ming tombs in Beijing.④长陵布局 the layout of 长陵长陵 is the head and largest tomb of the thirteen ming tombs. It is also the best-preserved one in this tomb area. The layout of 长陵 just followed by the example of 孝陵 in 南京. It is divided into 3 courtyards.The design of 长陵was square in the front and round in the rear. ④祾恩殿 the hall of eminent favor The hall of eminent favor is one of the largest wooden buildings in China and it is supported by 60 wooden pillars made of 楠木,the 4 pillars in the center are the larges,each is 14.3meters high . Today the hall is used as a exhibition hall for the historical relics unearthed from 定陵⑤人殉制度 the system of human sacrificeIn the slave society,slaves could be sold,given away or even be killed at will . However from the 秦 and 汉 dynasty,the owners made human figure pottery as offerings instead. But the practice of burying the living with the dead was carried out from the first ming emperor 朱元璋. According to the records,human sacrifices were found in the first 3 ming tombs:长陵、献陵and 景陵. This system was finally abolished by the sixth ming emperor 英宗 before he died.。