Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

The Ming layer: the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the peasant who founded the Ming dynasty in 1368 and made Nanjing its capital, and a World Heritage site since 2003. It is a long walk rather than a building. The spirit way starts at the Xiamafang gateway, passes the stele pavilion Nanjing calls the Square City - its tablet, raised in 1413 by the Yongle emperor for his father, carries 2,746 characters; the park calls it the largest old stele in Nanjing - then runs 615 m between pairs of stone animals on the Stone Elephant Road before turning to the gates, the Soul Tower and the burial mound behind it.