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Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum (built 1926-29)

The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum contains the mortal remains of the father of modern China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. His name in mandarin is Zhongshan (middle mountain), a pseudonym he used while residing in Japan prior to the revolution which overthrew the Qing dynasty.

The monument was built in 1926-29 on Purple Mountain just to the east of the City of Nanjing. Nanjing was where Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, first proclaimed the Republic of China in 1911 and where the government had moved from Beijing in the late 1920’s.

The mausoleum’s layout is very similar to the tombs of Chinese emperors and has interesting contrasts and similarities with the tomb of the first Ming emperor, Hongwu, which is found about a half mile to the west on the same slope of Purple Mountain. The whole complex is laid out on a north-south axis. First there is a pailou, or memorial arch, which marks the entry to the mausoleum grounds. From here a long tree-lined pathway leads up the hill at a slight incline for several hundred yards to the formal gate, with its three arched entries. Immediately behind this is a square pavilion, which houses Dr. Sun’s memorial tablet, a huge stone stele about 20 feet in height. From here the pathway leads up a wide stairway of 400 steps to the main memorial hall at the top. This hall consists of the front memorial room with a statue of Dr. Sun carved in white marble and with memorial tablets on the walls to the right and left. The ceiling is tiled with a copy of the flag of the Republic of China, which Dr. Sun established in 1911. To the north of this room in a circular chamber is the resting place of Dr. Sun’s remains. They lie in a marble sarcophagus with a reclining image of Dr. Sun sculpted on the cover. The coffin sits in a recessed circular pit so that visitors can gaze down on it as they circle around in silence. Photography is strictly forbidden in this room.