Situated about six km southwest of the county seat of Fengyang, Chuzhou city, the Imperial Mausoleum was built by Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), for his parents and brothers.
The mausoleum, in the shape of an inverted bowl, rises to a height of 5 meters. Made of earth, it occupies an area of about one square km, with the base being 50 meters from east to west and 35 meters from north to south.
The tombs are surrounded by three walls. A succession of residential buildings spreads out on either side of the central axial line of these three city walls, forming a large-scale and impressive architectural group.
To the north of the Golden Water Bridge sits the Sacred Way, 257 meters long and 6.3 meters wide with 32 pairs of stone statues on both sides. It is said that these stone statues are the earliest and the best of their kind from the Ming Dynasty, and they are certainly the largest in number. They are of extremely high artistic and historical value.
Source: Anhui Tour Guide
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