Mountain · Jiangsu
Purple Mountain
紫金山
Nanjing's forested mountain of emperors and a republic's founder
Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan, also Zhongshan) is a 449-metre wooded ridge on the eastern edge of Nanjing that holds the tomb of the first Ming emperor, the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen and China's first modern astronomical observatory. Its southern slopes form the Zhongshan scenic area, one of the largest urban forests in eastern China.
- UNESCO World Heritage (Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum) · 2003
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
Overview
Purple Mountain takes its name from the purple shales that glint on its slopes in the evening sun. For Nanjing it has been both a guardian and a burial ground: the city's feng shui was read from the mountain, and dynasties that made Nanjing their capital placed their tombs on its flanks.
The mountain today is a green belt of forest, lakes and memorial sites stretching east from the Ming city wall. The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Hongwu Emperor, inscribed as part of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in 2003, and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum of 1929 are its two great monuments; the Linggu Temple area, the Purple Mountain Observatory and the Nanjing Botanical Garden fill the rest.
How the landscape formed
The mountain is a small anticlinal ridge of the Ningzhen hills, running roughly east to west for about seven kilometres, built of sandstones, conglomerates and shales of Jurassic age with older limestones on its flanks. It rises steeply from the Yangtze plain and is the highest ground in the Nanjing area. Streams from its southern slopes feed Qianhu Lake at its foot, and Xuanwu Lake lies against its western end.
Highlights
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
中山陵
The tomb of the founder of the Republic of China, completed in 1929, reached by a broad stairway of 392 steps to a blue-tiled hall.
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
明孝陵
Tomb of the Hongwu Emperor and Empress Ma, with a winding spirit way lined by stone animals and officials.
Linggu Temple
灵谷寺
A Buddhist temple in the forest east of the mausoleum, with the Ming Beamless Hall and a nine-storey pagoda of the 1930s.
Purple Mountain Observatory
紫金山天文台
Founded in 1934 on the western peak, China's first modern astronomical observatory, with copies of Ming bronze instruments.
Toutuo Ridge
头陀岭
The main summit, reached by footpaths or by cableway from the Taiping Gate side.
Plants and wildlife
Much of the mountain was bare after centuries of cutting; large-scale planting from the 1920s onward, first for the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and later by the city, created the present mixed forest. It now forms a green lung for Nanjing and holds the national botanical garden of the Jiangsu Institute of Botany.
Plants
Plum blossom
梅花
Plum Blossom Hill beside the Ming tomb has hundreds of cultivars flowering in February and March.
Sweetgum
枫香
Liquidambar trees colour the slopes red in November.
Plane trees
悬铃木
The avenue to the mausoleum is lined with London planes planted in the Republican era.
Wildlife
Squirrels
松鼠
Pallas's squirrels are common in the woods around the tombs.
Woodland birds
鸟类
The forest is one of the best birdwatching places in Nanjing, with thrushes and flycatchers on migration.
Culture and legend
Zhuge Liang is said to have compared Nanjing to a coiled dragon and a crouching tiger, the dragon being Purple Mountain. The Eastern Wu ruler Sun Quan was buried at its foot, the Southern Dynasties built temples on its slopes, and in 1381 Zhu Yuanzhang began his tomb there. Sun Yat-sen chose the site of his own burial on a visit in 1912, and his remains were brought from Beijing in 1929.
Beamless Hall
无梁殿
A Ming brick vaulted hall built without timber beams, at Linggu Temple.
Tomb of Sun Quan
孙权墓
The traditional burial place of the founder of Eastern Wu, on Plum Blossom Hill.
Meiling Palace
美龄宫
A Republican-era residence in the forest, built for Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling.
History
252
Sun Quan buried on the mountain
The first of the rulers of Nanjing-based dynasties to be laid to rest here.
1381–1405
Ming Xiaoling built
The Hongwu Emperor's tomb sets the model for later Ming and Qing imperial tombs.
1929
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum completed
Sun's remains are brought from Beijing and interred in the new mausoleum.
1934
Purple Mountain Observatory opens
China's first modern astronomical observatory.
2003
UNESCO World Heritage
Ming Xiaoling added to the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Through the seasons
Spring
Plum Blossom Hill flowers from late February, followed by cherry and magnolia; the most popular season.
Summer
Hot and humid in Nanjing, but the forest is shaded and noticeably cooler.
Autumn
Sweetgum and ginkgo turn red and gold in November, especially around Linggu Temple.
Winter
Cold and occasionally snowy; the tombs are quiet and the bare trees open views over the city.
Routes and ways in
Mausoleum and temple circuit
From the Ming Xiaoling spirit way to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and on through the forest to Linggu Temple, an easy walk on paved paths.
Summit walk
Footpaths climb from the western side near Taiping Gate or from the observatory to Toutuo Ridge; a cableway also serves the summit.
Forest greenway
Cycle and walking greenways circle the lower mountain and link it with Xuanwu Lake.
Practical notes
- The scenic area lies within Nanjing and is reached by metro and city bus.
- Several sites within the area require separate entry and are closed on some days; the forest itself is open public land.
- Weekends and the Qingming festival bring heavy crowds to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zhongshan Scenic Area Administration — Zhongshan Scenic Area, Nanjing (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Nanjing Municipal People's Government — Nanjing Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences — Chinese Academy of Sciences (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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