Jiangsu Province 江 苏 省 简 介 - Dr Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum 中山陵

The lofty Mount Zhongsan, also known as Mount Purple (because the rocks on top of the mountain look purplish red in the distance). Crawls like a huge dragon in the northeastern part of Nanjing. It was already a scenic spot in the Six Dynasties (name of the historical period: Wu (222-280) and Eastern Jin (317-420) of the Three Kingdoms, and Song (420-479), Qi (479-502), Liang (502-557) and Chen (557-589) of the Southern Dynasty, all made Jiankang (former name for Nanjing) the capital, hence the name of the Six Dynasties), surrounded by over 70 temples and nunneries and row upon row of tombs. Construction of the mausoleum started in January 1926, and completed in spring 1929. Dr Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum is located at the southern foot of Mount Xiaomaoshan of Mount Zhongshan. The grave is situated at 158 meters above sea level, the difference of height between the upper and lower levels is 73 meters, the level distance between the memorial archway and the grave is 700 meters and the mausoleum encompasses 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres), of which 2,133 hectares (5,332.5 acres) are covered with all kinds of trees. The main structures include memorial archway, tomb passage, mausoleum gate, tablet pavilion, sacrificial hall, coffin chamber. A flight of 392 steps leads from the ground level to the coffin chamber in which is a gypsum statue of a seated Dr Sun Yat-sen (sculpted in France by a Polish friend, Landowski). Dr Sun’s remains are beneath a recumbent marble statue of him (executed by Japanese associates) in the circular crypt behind the hall. The mausoleum was designed by architect Lu Ynazhi吕彦直 (1894-1929) and the colours are those of the Kuomintang flag. The whole structure resembles a bell of liberty, symbolizing the spirit of continuous struggling of Dr Sun Yat-sen in arousing the people, fighting against oppression and in saving the country and the people.

During those days, Chiang Kai-shek also selected the site of his own tomb, where a pavilion was erected with the name “Righteousness Pavilion” The pavilion was built in April 1947 beside Zixia Lake at the southern foot of Mount Zhongshan. The pavilion is square in shape, decorated with upturned eaves, its roof covered with blue glazed tiles and its foundation made of granite from Suzhou. Its interior is colourfully painted, appearing spectacular and resplendent. The name of the pavilion “Zheng Qi Ting” (Righteousness Pavilion) inscribed on a horizontal board and the couplet written on columns are both the handwriting of Chiang Kai-shek. The first line of the couplet reads “Noble Spirit Connecting with Tower of Martyrs,” and the second line reads “Purple Clouds Envelops Precious Pearl Peak.” Behind the pavilion stands a granite screen inlaid with the inscription of “On Righteousness Pavilion” written by Sun Ke (1891-1973), son of Dr Sun Yat-sen.

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