The Changling Mausoleum, the first to be built, is the largest and best preserved of all the Ming tombs. It is located at the forefront of the burial ground, and its Divine Path starts at the Stone Archway. The 1,956-sq.-m Ling'en (Prominent Favor) Hall is built entirely of precious nanmu. Inside are 32 nanmu columns, each over a meter in diameter, and the central column is so broad, the enjoined arms of three people are required to encircle it. Even today, this mausoleum is still pervaded by the aroma of nanmu.

Zhu Di was a successful ruler and created a period of great prosperity. His success is reflected not only in the construction of his tomb, but also of the Forbidden City, which was built during his reign, as well as in the seven Chinese voyages around Asia and to Africa that took place between 1405 and 1433 at his behest.

The Siling Mausoleum, the thirteenth, last built, and smallest of the tombs in the area, is that of Emperor Chongzhen, which he shares with his empress and Concubine Tian, for whom the Siling Mausoleum was built. The tomb mound is only 1.3 meters high, the designated height for a commoner. In 1644, when peasant rebels led by Li Zicheng captured Beijing, Chongzhen ordered his empress to commit suicide before hanging himself from a tree on Coal Hill (present-day Jingshan Park), immediately north of the imperial palace. His last words, written on his clothes, were: "I am too ashamed to face my ancestors.   I will take off my crown, hide my face in my fallen hair and beg that bandits tear my body apart as they please, rather than harm any of my people." Li Zicheng did not tear him apart, but ordered the late emperor be given a decent burial at the Thirteen Ming Tombs. However, the official responsible for this task had no funds for a new tomb. His only recourse was to open Concubine Tian's tomb, place the dead emperor inside to rest beside his wife, before sealing the tomb with earth and lime. The concubine's tomb was subsequently renamed Siling Mausoleum. After the Manchurians entered Beijing, the Qing imperial court built a memorial hall and a tower for the last Ming emperor.

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