The Ming Tombs are the general term for the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. From the construction of Changling on June 20, 1409, in the 7th year of Yongle, to the completion of Siling in the early years of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, it lasted for more than 200 years. According to the order of construction of the tombs, the names of the tombs are: Changling, Xianling, Jingling, Yuling, Maoling, Tailing, Kangling, Yongling, Zhaoling, Dingling, Qingling, Deling, and Siling. A total of 13 emperors, 23 empresses, 1 imperial concubine and dozens of martyrs were buried in the entire mausoleum area. There are also 7 tombs of concubines, 1 tomb of eunuchs, and ancillary buildings such as palaces and gardens built in the mausoleum area. The entire mausoleum area covers an area of 4000 hectares. Experts and scholars have determined that the Ming Tombs are the most well-preserved tombs in the world with the largest number of emperors buried.

Of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, 13 were buried in the Ming Tombs. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was the founding emperor and founded his capital in Nanjing. After his death, he was buried in Zhongshan, Nanjing, known as Xiaoling. The second-generation emperor Zhu Yunwen was missing during the battle between his uncle and nephew for the throne and had no tomb. After the third emperor, Zhu Di, moved his capital to Beijing and was buried in Changling at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in Changping County, 50 kilometers away from the Beijing Urban area. From Zhu Di to the 14 emperors from the last Emperor Yizong Zhu Youjian, except for Emperor Jing Zhu Qiyu, who was buried in Jinshan in the west of Beijing due to the restoration of Yingzong, all other emperors were buried in the Ming Tombs.

The location of the emperor's tomb was the most important thing about "feng shui". The location of the Ming Tombs is considered to be a treasure land of feng shui. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Liao Junqing, a warlock in Jiangxi Province, said that there was a "auspicious land" in the north of Changping, called Huangtu Mountain, and there were two mountains in front of the mountain, forming a treasure land of feng shui. Emperor Zhu Di decided to build a tomb here and changed Huangtu Mountain to Tianshou Mountain. Construction of Changling began on June 20, 1409. The cemetery of the Ming Tombs is vast and wide, and the Yanshan Mountains wind from the northwest and become a natural barrier. After several rivers of water meet on the plain, they slowly flow eastward. The mountains here are undulating and the trees are green. During the construction of the cemetery, walls were built around it due to the mountainous terrain, with a total length of 12 kilometers. More than a dozen checkpoints were set up at the dangerous places of the wall, and city passes and enemy buildings were built and guarded by garrison troops. Setting up garrison troops is not only of great significance to defend the cemetery, but also of great significance to defend the capital. Because the cemetery is located at the hub of northern Beijing, with the fortress Huanghua Town in the north, Juyong Pass in the west, and Ji and Liao in the east. Its location is like the gateway to northern Beijing.

The earliest Changling Mausoleum was the largest among the Ming Tombs. It should be regarded as Changling from the moment you entered the Grand Palace Gate. It has the longest Shinto, the largest stele pavilion and stele, the largest Xiangdian and the largest treasure city. These are beyond the reach of the other twelve tombs. It took four years to build the Baocheng and underground palace of Changling. The Baocheng included the city wall and the Fangcheng, with the tomb mountain where Zhu Di was buried in the middle. The stele pavilion of Changling and the stone statues on both sides of the Shinto were built more than 20 years after the Baocheng and the underground palace were built.

The layout of the Ming Tombs is solemn. If it was built by the emperor himself during his lifetime, the scale would be larger; if it was buried by the next generation after his death, the scale would be slightly smaller. There is no clear record of how much manpower was used in the construction of the Ming Tombs, but according to the "Ming Shi Lu¡¤Renzong Shi Lu" records, when the Xianling Mausoleum was built, nearly 180,000 military craftsmen directly served in the month. This shows that all the manpower used to build the Ming Tombs.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Tombs were dilapidated due to serious disrepair. After the founding of New China, Changling, Jingling, and Yongling were renovated. In 1959, a museum was built in Dingling. Now, the Ming Tombs area has become a modern tourist attraction.