1Highlights
Ming Xiaoling is the joint tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, who founded the Ming dynasty, and Empress Ma, and it is the blueprint every later Ming and Qing imperial tomb copied. The part people come for is the spirit way — an avenue of stone elephants, camels, qilin, horses and lions, standing and kneeling in pairs, running through forest that is genuinely old. Unlike the ruler-straight approaches of the Beijing tombs, this one curves around an existing hill rather than levelling it, which is why it feels like a walk rather than a processional. It was listed by UNESCO in 2003. A single ticket is ¥70, but almost nobody should buy one — see the tickets section.
- Single ticket
- ¥70
- Combined ticket
- ¥100 for four sites
- Bought separately
- About ¥145
- Heritage
- UNESCO, 2003
- Ticket hours
- Roughly 6:30–18:30
- Allow
- About 2 hours
2Tickets
This is the page in Nanjing where a ticket decision actually saves money. A single Ming Xiaoling ticket is ¥70. The Zhongshan combined ticket is ¥100 and covers Ming Xiaoling, Linggu, Meiling Palace and the Music Stage — the same four bought separately come to roughly ¥145, so the combination saves about ¥45. Buying online a day ahead has recently been a little cheaper again. The combined ticket does not include Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, and does not need to: that one is free, with its own separate reservation.
| Zhongshan combined ticket | ¥100 | Ming Xiaoling + Linggu + Meiling Palace + Music Stage. The default correct purchase if you are spending a day on the mountain. |
|---|---|---|
| Ming Xiaoling single | ¥70 | Only worth it if you genuinely have under two hours and will not see anything else. |
| The same four bought separately | About ¥145 | Xiaoling 70 + Linggu 35 + Meiling 30 + Music Stage 10. Roughly ¥45 more than the combination. |
| Scenic-area shuttle | ¥10 single, ¥30 all-day | Not included in any ticket, and sold on the shuttle rather than at ticket windows. |
The combined ticket is Nanjing's single most useful money tip：¥100 against roughly ¥145 for the same four sites. Even if you only end up visiting three of them, you are still ahead. Check which gate sells it before you queue — not every entrance handles the combination.
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is a separate system：It is free and books through a different channel with its own slot. Having the combined ticket does not get you in there, and having a mausoleum slot does not get you in here.
Klook
Purple Mountain day tours, when the combined ticket and the free booking collide
Purple Mountain asks you to handle two unrelated systems on the same day: a paid combined ticket for Ming Xiaoling and its neighbours, and a free but competitive reservation slot for Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum released seven days ahead at 16:00. Guided day tours bundle the mountain into one arrangement with transport included, which is the main reason to consider one here. Before paying, confirm exactly which sites the price covers, whether the Sun Yat-sen slot is genuinely included or still yours to secure, whether the scenic-area shuttle is included, and the cancellation terms.
- Confirm whether the Sun Yat-sen reservation is included — it is the hard part of the day
- Check which of the four combined-ticket sites the product actually visits
- The ¥30 all-day scenic shuttle is often separate from the tour price
- The burial chamber opens Tuesday to Friday regardless of what you book
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3Getting There
Same scenic area as Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, and the practical question is which gate you walk in through.
Exit 1 is close to Ming Xiaoling's gate 3, which lets you walk the site in one direction without doubling back.
The link to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Linggu and Meiling Palace. Buy on board; ticket windows do not sell shuttle fares.
Nearest to Linggu, which makes it the sensible exit station if you work the mountain west to east.
Downtown to the scenic area in roughly 20 minutes.
The spirit way is not next to the tomb：The stone-animal avenue sits apart from the main tomb complex, and visitors routinely walk straight past the turning and miss the best part of the site. Check the site map at the gate, and if you only have time for one thing, make it the spirit way.
4Route & Photos
Two hours at a reasonable pace. Early morning is not a crowd-avoidance tip here so much as a light one.
Recommended Route
- 1
The spirit way, first
Elephants, camels, qilin, horses and lions in standing and kneeling pairs. In morning mist through old trees this is the most atmospheric stretch in Nanjing.
- 2
The Wengzhong path and Lingxing Gate
The avenue turns here and the stone figures change from animals to officials and generals.
- 3
Through the tomb complex
Along the central axis to the Xiaoling Hall ruins — most of the timber burned in the 19th century, leaving the stone platform.
- 4
The Ming Tower and the mound
The path ends at the tower above the burial mound, which has never been excavated.
- 5
Shuttle on to Linggu or Meiling
Both are inside the combined ticket you have already bought, so there is no reason to skip them.
Best Photo Spots
The stone animals in morning mist
Low light through old forest with the beasts in silhouette. Worth getting up for, and the reason to be at the gate when the ticket office opens.
Looking down the curving avenue
Shoot along the curve rather than across it — the bend is what distinguishes this spirit way from the Beijing tombs.
Autumn colour on the Shixiang Road
Late November turns this stretch into the most photographed avenue in the city. Expect company.
5Food & Stay
| Inside the scenic areaLight meals and tea | ¥40–80 per person | Limited and scenic-area priced. Plan to eat after rather than during. |
|---|---|---|
| Muxuyuan food streetNanjing home cooking | ¥25–60 per person | By the metro exit, no scenic-area markup, and where locals actually eat after the mountain. |
Where to Stay
- Xinjiekou: Line 2 straight to the scenic area and the widest choice of hotels. Roughly ¥300–600 a night.
- Muxuyuan or Xiamafang: within walking distance of the scenic area gates, cheaper and quieter. Roughly ¥180–350 a night.
6Tips & Pitfalls
- Buy the ¥100 combined ticket, not the ¥70 single. The four sites separately come to about ¥145.
- Find the spirit way before anything else. It is physically separate from the tomb complex and it is the reason this site is worth the ticket.
- Early morning for the stone animals; late November for the autumn colour on Shixiang Road. Those are the two reasons to time a visit.
- Budget ¥30 for the all-day shuttle on top of the ticket. The scenic area is far bigger than it looks on a map.
- Do not expect to go underground. The burial chamber has never been excavated and there is nothing to enter.
7Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Ming Xiaoling cost?
A single ticket is ¥70. The better buy is the ¥100 Zhongshan combined ticket covering Ming Xiaoling, Linggu, Meiling Palace and the Music Stage — the same four separately total about ¥145, so it saves roughly ¥45. Official live pricing governs.
Does the combined ticket include Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum?
No, and it does not need to — Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is free. It does, however, require its own advance reservation through a separate channel, so treat them as two different booking tasks on the same day.
What is the spirit way?
An avenue lined with paired stone animals — elephants, camels, qilin, horses and lions, one standing and one kneeling in each pair — followed by stone officials and generals. Unlike the straight approaches at the Beijing imperial tombs, this one curves around an existing hill, and it sits apart from the main tomb complex, so check the map or you will miss it.
How do I get to Ming Xiaoling?
Metro Line 2 to Muxuyuan, Exit 1, which comes out near gate 3. Inside the scenic area the shuttle links Ming Xiaoling with Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Linggu and Meiling Palace at ¥10 a ride or ¥30 for the day.
How long should I spend at Ming Xiaoling?
About two hours for the spirit way and the tomb complex. With Linggu and Meiling Palace from the combined ticket, plus Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Purple Mountain fills a full day comfortably.
Combine With
Other Nanjing sights that genuinely pair well with this one
Before You Go
The practical guides you will actually need here
Sort Your Visa First
All Nanjing attractions
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Our team of China travel researchers combines on-the-ground contributor insights, official government sources, and traveler community feedback to create the most detailed English-language China guides available. Every guide is fact-checked against primary sources (NIA, 12367, official attraction websites, Railway 12306) before publication.