Excursion to Dr. Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum and The Ming Tomb

Dr. Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum

The Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yatsen (known as Sun Zhongshan 孙中山 in China) is located at the foot of the Purple Moutain in Nanjing. Dr. Sun is considered to be "The Father of Modern China" in mainland China and Taiwan. He is credited with ending the imperial Qing government, which was led by the Manchus from 1636-1911. After regaining Chinese control of the government during the 1911 revolution, Dr. Sun founded the Republic of China. As the first leader of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun brought wellformed ideas of democracy to China throughout his leadership (he studied in Hawaii and wrote and published a book on the principles of democracy, which he brought with him back to China). 

Dr. Sun died in Beijing in 1925. The construction of his tomb was started in January of 1926 and was finished in the spring of 1929. When the mausoleum was finished, Dr. Sun's body was moved from Beijing to Nanjing. He was buried in the mausoleum on June 1, 1929.

Photo credit: Noah Davidson (CIEE in Nanjing student)

After climbing up almost 400 stairs to get to Dr. Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum, students had the choice to either visit The Ming Tomb or feed pigeons at a park near the mausoleum. 

Feeding Pigeons at a Park Near the Mausoleum

The Ming Tomb

The Ming Xiaoling Tomb (明孝陵) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nanjing. It is the tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yanzhang (朱元璋). The Hongwu Emperor was the first emperor and founder of the Ming Dynasty of China, which lasted from 1368-1644. During the previous Dynasty (the Yuan Dynasty from 1271-1368), the Mongols were in control of the government. The Hongwu Emperor commanded the troops that forced the Mongols out of China, returning power to the Chinese once again.

Most of the historical sites commemorating the Hongwu Emperor are found in Nanjing, which was the original capital of the Ming dynasty.

Photo credit: Noah Davison (CIEE in Nanjing student)

The Hongwu Emperor's tomb is located somewhere inside the forest pictured above. To this day, its exact location is unkown.