Ming Xian Ling in Zhongxiang, Jingmen Hubei visited, 15 Sep 2019)

Zhongxiang, a small town in the middle of Hubei very much far away from any imperial capital of China, is the oddest of locations for inscribed Imperial Tombs. Here lies a testimony of an emperor’s filial piety. Interred here are Prince Xiang of Wang, Zhu Yuyuan, and his wife.

Zhu Yuyuan’s position was unique amongst the Chinese royal lineage as he was a son, a brother and a father of emperors without being (officially) an emperor himself. His brother ascended to the throne upon the death of their father. Unlike other monarchs, his brother only had 1 wife with no other consorts and only had 2 sons, one died at infancy and the other succeeded him upon his death. Unfortunately, Zhu Yuyuan’s nephew died without an heir, creating a void on the succession line. Zhu Yuyuan’s son, the heir presumptive, unexpectedly became the Emperor Jiajing at age 14 - this happened 2 years after Zhu Yuyuan’s death.

In China’s succession custom, an emperor who was not a direct descendant of the previous one should be adopted by his predecessor to maintain an unbroken line. Jiajing Emperor defied this, known as the “Great Rites Controversy”, silenced his critics and posthumously elevated his father, Zhu Yuyuan, into an emperor and his mother, who was still living at that time, into an empress.

The imperial mausolea of Ming Xian Ling, in Zhongxiang - the fiefdom of Zhu Yuyuan - was constructed by Jiajing Emperor for his parents. The original tomb of his father was realigned and remodeled to pattern that of the Ming Imperial Tombs in Beijing.

Ming Xian Ling is the largest single imperial tomb with an enwalled area of 450 acres. It is the  best preserved and one of the five Ming Imperial Tombs with a Sacred Way of stone statues. Within the site are ponds and water channels as part of the Feng Shui and perfect backdrop for photoshoots with the gates reflecting on the water. The scared path winds like a dragon along the terrain, from the entrance of the site to the tombs. The statues on the Sacred Way, although shows the impact of weathering, provides an authentic feel that culminates to the yellow-tiled Dragon-Phoenix Gate(in photo) - symbolizing that the emperor and the empress are entombed in the area. As you go towards the imperial tumuli, you'll pass by an unrestored ruins of the Sacrificial and Administrative Halls - another unique element for this site.

I visited this site last year, two months before the pandemic started in Wuhan. Of the tombs I visited thus far (Beijing Ming Tombs, the Western Qing Tombs, the two Qing Tombs in Shenyang), Ming Xian Ling is my favorite for its authenticity and scale. This site can be visited if you are travelling back/going to Wuhan from/to Wudangshan or as a stopover on the way to Yichang for Shennongjia. Zhongxiang is connected by train or bus to Wuhan, Shiyan or Yichang. Definitely worth a visit when you are in the area.