Zhōngxiáng

Zhōngxiáng lies on the Hàn River in central Húběi, amid the fertile plains of the old Chǔ heartland. Its hills hold the Xiǎnlíng, the burial place of the parents of the Míng Jiājìng Emperor. After inheriting the throne in 1521, the emperor elevated his father’s posthumous status and ordered the former princely tomb rebuilt as an imperial mausoleum. His mother was later buried there as well, giving the complex an unusual place among Míng imperial tombs.