About Mingzu Ling (Ming Ancestral Mausoleum)

The "first mausoleum of the Ming", begun in 1385 by Zhu Yuanzhang as a memorial tomb for his great-grandfather, grandfather and father. When the Yellow River seized the Huai in 1680 it drowned beneath Hongze Lake for more than 300 years before resurfacing; the spirit way lined with 21 pairs of stone figures survived remarkably. National heritage site and 4A scenic area, "the water-veiled imperial tomb".