The Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty (Ming Tombs) are located between the Great Wall of China at Juyong Pass and Beijing. Both are located in an area known as Changping, China. The area between the mountains a nearby rivers was selected for its Feng Shui qualities. While visiting China (and Vietnam) it was not uncommon for tombs to be similarly located, striking a balance to keep the area free of evil spirits.
There were sixteen Emperors during the Ming Dynasty. Thirteen of them are buried at the Ming Tombs. The tombs are entered via the Sacred Way, which is a seven kilometer paved walkway studded with statues along the route. It is a lengthy walk for anyone who just finished climbing the Great Wall, so we received plenty of exercise on this tour. There are 36 statues, 24 animals and 12 humans. The Emperors are represented by the human forms. I will let the statues tell their own story visually, rather than simply describe the walk.
The tombs are located about an hour outside of Beijing. They are open from 8:30 am until 5:30 or 6:00 pm, depending on which tomb(s) you are visiting. We only visited one tomb after walking along the sacred way. We went in the early afternoon, finishing well before closing time. Entrance to the sacred way is 30 yuan in peak season and 20 yuan when we visited in the off season (approximately five and three dollars US respectively). The tombs are individually priced separately from the sacred way and cost slightly more. It is difficult to see the entire sprawling complex in one day, so many people only visit the Changling Tomb, as we did.
To give an idea of the smog, even an hour outside of Beijing, I took a photo of the mid-day sun while we were navigating the Sacred Way. It was an interesting photo that would not appear to be the sun if you didn't know it. It looks like the moon rising in the evening sky. This was actually taken shortly after we had lunch.
The tombs are frequently done as a day trip along with the nearby wall. This type of tour I would consider to be moderately aggressive. There were some older tourists with us who were in great shape. They did fine, although I am not certain if they ascended to the top of the Great Wall as we did. The walk along the Sacred Way isn't bad. While it is lengthy, it is on even pavement without much in the way of steps or incline. While the statues and tombs were interesting, particularly dating back nearly six hundred years, the site was moderately interesting. It was more of an "add on" to the Great Wall than a destination I would have otherwise sought out.