Zhaoling, with a total area of 4.5 million square meters, was built in 1643, the foundation was built in 1651, and it was further built. It not only absorbs the architectural advantages of the Ming Tombs, but also inherits the advantages of the ancient traditional buildings in China, and integrates the characteristics of the Manchu tombs. It has a poetic national style and local characteristics, and to some extent reflects the evolution of Manchu architectural art before the Qing Dynasty. Zhaoling is divided into three parts according to the architectural layout. The first part is from Xiamabei to Zhenghongmen, and the second part is from Zhenghongmen to Fangcheng. The third part is Fangcheng Baoding, which is also the main part of the mausoleum.
What catches everyone's eye now is a dismounting tablet carved in Manchu, Chinese and Mongolian, which says, "The officials below the kings are here to dismount", warning people that it is the mausoleum of the emperor ahead, so please dismount and get off the sedan chair to show their respect for the mausoleum. Then the big sedan chair we are riding in today will also stop here, so please get off the sedan chair and join me in offering sacrifices to the imperial tomb.
In front of you is the Shenqiao. If you want to see the buildings in the mausoleum, you must pass through the Shenqiao, which also determines the function of the Shenqiao. There is a moat under the Shenqiao Bridge. The emperor's mausoleum should be built on a good land with mountains and rivers, but what should I do if there is no water here at that time? A moat was dug in front of the mausoleum, and a Longye Mountain was artificially piled up behind the mausoleum, which is a treasure house with mountains and rivers. The construction of Shenqiao not only beautifies the environment, but also has its practical function.
stone archway is a unique decorative building in Ming and Qing dynasties. It is used to commemorate the dead and show merit. It is often placed in tombs, temples, feeding halls, roads and gardens. In addition to commending the commemorative significance of merit, it also serves as a foil to the scenery, indicating ceremonies and guiding people into the realm of worshipping emperors.
Through the stone archway, we came to the Zhenghong Gate, which has three gates, namely, the monarch gate in the east, the minister gate in the west and the sacred gate in the middle. That is to say, when offering the handle, the emperor takes the east gate and the minister takes the west gate, and the sacred gate in the middle is a gate for the souls of Huang Taiji and his queen to enter and leave. At that time, only people who carried sacrifices could pass through. According to Shenmen is a straight Shinto, which has the same function as Shenmen. On both sides of Shinto stand two white and crystal-clear symmetrical stone pillars, which are Hua Biao. As a unique ancient building in China, it has a very long history. It is said that Hua Biao appeared in the Yao and Shun era. At that time, it was a wooden structure and was placed at the crossroads to guide business travelers. Later, it gradually evolved into a building similar to an opinion book. At that time, if the people had any opinions, they wrote it down on paper, and officials specially collected it to the emperor or local buildings. Later, the emperor ordered this kind of building to be built in front of the mausoleum or the palace to show that the emperor coachable was obedient and not opinionated. There is a stone beast crouching above the huabiao. Its name is Cheng. Legend has it that it is one of the nine sons of Longsheng. Because of its good looks, it is placed on the Hua Biao, and there is also a pair on the Hua Biao outside the mausoleum, but the head is oriented differently, and the one in the mausoleum is looking forward to your departure. Tell the emperor not to bury himself in sorrow and return to the DPRK in time to deal with the affairs of state affairs, and the head facing outwards is called Wang Jun Gui, telling the emperor not to forget the merits of renting first and to pay homage to him from time to time.
After seeing the Hua Biao, we can see from both sides along the Shinto that there are six pairs of stone beasts, which are lions, lions, unicorns, horses, camels and elephants in turn. These six pairs of stone beasts have their own unique meanings, but they can better reflect the strict etiquette system of distinguishing the inferiority, the illusion and the status level in feudal society. Because of the time, I will introduce it to you in the car.
In the center of Shinto, facing us is the Zhaoling Shengong Shengde Monument Pavilion, which was built during Emperor Kangxi's second tour to the east. The stone tablet inside weighs more than 5, kilograms, and the inscription was written by Emperor Kangxi himself. The stone tablet was carved from bluestone in Yixian, Hebei Province. Let's take a closer look at the animal carrying the monument. It is also one of Longsheng No.9, and it is a dragon head. It seems that the sons of the Old Dragon King are all architects! Don't worry. Maybe we can see some sons of the old dragon king.
When we entered Fangcheng, we saw the Long 'en Hall, which was built on the sumeru of granite, making it even more magnificent. The floor tiles around it were all made of gold ore. This is the famous "golden brick paving", because it contains gold sand, so you may wish to look for it carefully under the sunlight. If you are lucky, you may find some golden sands. On the edge of the platform, there is also a stone carving shrimp as a drainage outlet. It is also one of the nine sons of Longsheng. Because it likes to play in the water, it will be seen on the bridge or at the drainage outlet. During the rainstorm, rain will gush out from its mouth, which is very spectacular and becomes a scene of Zhaoling.
Please follow me to climb the city wall and have a panoramic view of Zhaoling. Standing on the city wall, the Gu Song in the mausoleum area is towering, and the golden tile red wall makes you fully feel the majestic momentum of this feudal royal cemetery, and the unique solemnity and mystery of the "land of geomantic omen". Just ahead are Crescent City and Baoding. Su Dongpo has a poem: one person is sad and happy, and the moon is full of rain and shine. The crescent moon has the meaning of sadness and separation, and the city will be opened next month to show condolences to the emperor. The treasure top in front of us is the place where the emperor and queen are buried. In the underground palace below, there is a legend of "golden well royal burial". It is said that the coffin of the emperor and queen is hung by chains, and there is a well below, which is called the sea eye. The emperor is called the real dragon son of heaven, which means "the dragon belongs to the sea".
Behind Baoding, there is Longye Mountain piled up artificially. At present, the tallest building in Zhaoling is Daming Building, which contains a tablet of Zhaoling Tomb. Due to repeated lightning strikes, the tablet wall has been broken and the Daming Building has been rebuilt.
The architecture of Zhaoling embodies the wisdom and skills of the working people in ancient China, and has its quaint cultural connotation. Zhaoling is attracting visitors from all directions with its unique charm. No wonder some people praise it as "the imperial tomb, which was the capital of the past, is a scenic spot in Shenyang today."