travel asia china guilin jingjiang king mausoleum museum
Riding by bicycle out into the Guilin countryside on a smoky and overcast day to see the ancient Ming Tombs was an enlightening experience.
Lynn and I had been fortunate to meet another couple at our hotel who were visiting their son, a young American man teaching in China who spoke fluent Mandarin.
At his suggestion, he, his father and I rented bicycles to explore the city and search out the Ming tombs in the countryside.
We stopped at what is now called the Jingjiang King Mausoleum Museum, the burial site for generations of the Jingjiang family who ruled during the Ming Dynasty.
Since almost all the signs were in Chinese, except for one advertising a "well-presurved corpse," I thought of the site as simply a "Ming Tomb" and labeled it such for years.
I recently researched this site on the internet and I see by the newer photos there that the museum appears to have been greatly upgraded and added to many tours.
I feel lucky to have visited the area when, at least to me, it still exuded a dark, empty, mystic ambiance of abandonment and neglect that gave it a sense of ancient history.
TRAVEL: December 1991 -
This location has earned an over-all four-and-a-half star (very good+) rating from
Travel Fanatics Unlimited
****1/2
unless noted otherwise all images copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
Me riding my rented bike in the countryside outside Guilin, China, 1991.
Notice the beautiful concrete road... with no people or traffic in site.
(photo by others)
The countryside is covered with ragged burial sites like this one, Guilin, China - 1991.
A relatively new entry to the museum, outside Guilin, China, December 1991.
Detail of the roof, Jingjiang King Mausoleum Museum, outside Guilin, China, 1991.
The number of figures on a roof to ward off evil signifies the importance of a structure.
Me at the museum, outside Guilin, China, 1991.
(photo by others)
The museum sign advertises "A well-presurved corpse" and "Splendid Chu lacquerware."
Jingjiang King Mausoleum Museum, outside Guilin, China, 1991.
copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
page last revised january 2020