Ming Tombs - Some 50 kilometers northwest of the capital, the Ming Tombs are generally combined with a visit to the Great Wall.Otherwise known as the "13 Tombs," this is the burial site of 13 out of 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. However, the only one you can get a good look at is the tomb of Emperor Wanli, who reigned from 1573 to 1620. This tomb was unearthed in 1956. There are two others that have been uncovered, but the rest remain illusive.

A trip to the Ming Tombs is a standard part of the Great Wall tour package. But dont get your hopes up. The best part of the Ming Tombs is the road there. The Sacred Way is the path leading to the mouth of the tomb. Along the path are bizarre, mythical stone monsters standing guard. To get to the tomb itself, you have to walk down many flights of stairs till you are deep inside the mountain. It is kind of creepy and cool to go down and down, but the actual tomb chambers are a little disappointing. There is not much is there, just a couple of stone rooms, excavated treasures.

A couple of interesting facts about these Tombs:

• Each successive emperor had to build his tomb so that it was not any bigger than his predecessors.  Therefore Zhu Dis tomb is the largest and most prominently located.
• The afterlife was considered an extension of the current life therefore the tombs consisted of many buildings including a place to eat, a place to work and a place to sleep.  They also began preparing for their second life very early - Zhu Di began construction on his when he was 28.
• When the emperor died, his wife, 16 favorite concubines and several servants were killed (usually poisoned) to join him and take care of him in his afterlife.  Best to be his 17th favorite concubine, I think.  They were all buried somewhere in the hill behind the structures - none of the actual tombs have been found because no one wants to disturb the actual tombs.  
• There are three mountains around the Tombs.  The middle mountain behind Zhu Dis Tomb is the mountain of Heavenly Longevity.  The other two mountains are the Dragon mountain and the Tiger mountain.

Travel Tips:

• Admission Fee: Changling Tomb: RMB 30 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31)/ RMB 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
• Dingling Tomb: RMB40 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31)/ RMB 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
  
• Opening Hours:  Changling Tomb: 08:30 to 17:30/Dingling Tomb: 08:30 to 18:00
  
• Address: The Ming Tombs in Changping District, Bejing/48km (31 miles) NW of Beijing
  
• Bus Route: Take Bus No.345 (branch) at Deshengmen to Changping,and then transfer to Bus No. 314 or Bus No.22 at Lishuiqiao to the destination.