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Located in Zhongxiang of Hubei, Mingxian Tomb is a national key relics protection site. It is the largest and best-preserved mono-structural imperatorial tomb. The construction started in 1519 and was completed in 1540, and the location of Mingxian Tomb was carefully selected according to Chinese geomantic theory.
Surrounded by mountains and waters, it faces the Hanjing River in the west and Mochou Lake in the south. The tomb was designed to have two chambers for the purpose of co-burials, which makes it unique among the imperatorial tombs of the Ming Dynasty.
The front part of Mingxian Tomb is elliptical, complementing the rolling hills, whereas the circle-shaped back part consists of many buildings with decorations of dragons, phoenixes, jade and gold, looking very solemn and sacred. With an ingenious layout of 30 more gigantic buildings all leading to the tomb and the fine craftwork and reliefs, Mingxian Tomb is a true architectural masterpiece of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911).
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