Large scale repair work on Ming Dynasty Maoling Tomb begins

A 12 million yuan emergency repair of the Maoling Tomb commenced in the rain on the morning of July 17. It is the largest renovation of the Maoling Tomb in history, and is another major overhaul project for the Ming Tombs Special Area, following repairs to the Deling Tomb, Kangling Tomb, Qingling Tomb and Tailing Tomb.

Emergency repairs on Maoling Tomb start despite rain

A 12 million yuan emergency repair of the Maoling Tomb commenced in the rain on the morning of July 17. It is the largest renovation of the Maoling Tomb in history, and is another major overhaul project for the Ming Tombs Special Area, following repairs to the Deling Tomb, Kangling Tomb, Qingling Tomb and Tailing Tomb.

In the drizzling rain, the Maoling Tomb appeared even more aged as the water eroded the external walls of many buildings. Red steel frames have been erected outside the Soul Tower, one of the constructions of the Maoling Tomb. Workers were taking photographs of and marking numbers on the wooden boards, stones and bricks.

An official from the Ming Tombs Special Area office in Beijing’s Changping District said that the Maoling Tomb repair project includes restoring the Ling’en Gate based on its Qing style, renovating its existing podiums, repairing the remaining podiums of the Ling’en Hall, platforms and damaged walls, as well as conducting conservation work on the existing walls. Restoration personnel will overhaul the Soul Tower and the Three Gates, revamp the surface of Fangcheng and the riding tracks, restore the Baocheng walls, the Mute Courtyard and the screen walls, and repair and clean the drainage systems on the two sides of the Baoding and Baocheng. The majority of the repair work will take place in the Soul Tower as its upper half has been damaged and caved in, eroded by rainwater for a long time.

The Ming Tombs are a cluster of tombs for emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The tombs that have been renovated include the Changling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb, Siling Tomb, Deling Tomb, Qingling Tomb, Kangling Tomb, Tailing Tomb and Xianling Tomb. According to the plan, the conservation and repair projects on damaged tombs, such as Yuling Tomb and Jingling Tomb, will also be launched in the next two or three years. Currently only the Changling Tomb, Dingling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and Shenlu are open to tourists. The rest of the tombs will be closed to the public after renovation.