Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is an important center of science and education in China. Since ancient times, it has been a city that values culture and education. It is known as the "cultural hub of the world" and "the first school in Southeast China". During the Ming and Qing dynasties, more than half of China's top scorers were from Nanjing Jiangnan Gongyuan.
The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is located at the southern foot of Zijin Mountain in Xuanwu District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. It is adjacent to Zhongshan Mausoleum to the east and Meihua Mountain to the south. It is located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area and is the joint burial tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and his empress. Due to Empress Ma's posthumous title of "Empress Xiaoci Gao" and her pursuit of filial piety in governing the world, she was named "Xiaoling". It covers an area of over 1.7 million square meters and is one of the largest imperial tombs in China. As the first imperial mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, it represents the highest achievement of architecture and stone carving art in the early Ming Dynasty, and directly affects the shape of more than 20 imperial mausoleums in more than 500 years of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The the Imperial Mausoleums of the Ming and Qing Dynasties of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, distributed in Beijing, Hubei, Liaoning, Hebei and other places in the historical process, were built according to the regulations and models of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in southern Beijing, and have a special position in the history of the development of Chinese imperial mausoleums, so it has the reputation of "the first imperial mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum has gone through more than 600 years of vicissitudes, and the wooden structures of many buildings no longer exist. However, the layout of the tombs still retains the original magnificent style, and the underground tomb palace is intact as before. The main buildings and stone carvings in the mausoleum area include Fangcheng, Soul Tower, Baocheng, Baoding, including Xiama Square, Dajin Gate, Monument of Divine Skills and Virtues, Shinto Path, and Stone Carvings on Stone Statues Road, all of which are architectural relics of the Ming Dynasty, maintaining the authenticity of the original buildings and the integrity of the spatial layout of the mausoleum.