Tomb of Li Wenzhong, Ming Dynasty tomb in Zhongshan Mountain, Jiangsu, China

The Tomb of Li Wenzhong, built in 1384 in the Xuanwu District of Nanjing, faces east and consists of a spirit path lined with an octagonal stone pillar, a stone horse with groom, a stone sheep, a stone tiger, and pairs of military and civil officials. The stele by Dong Lun (1386) stands about 30 meters to the left of the path, facing it. Foundations of the front gate and offering hall, built with city-wall bricks, precede the burial mound.

Li Wenzhong, a founding general of the Ming dynasty, was buried here in 1384, the 17th year of the Hongwu reign. His tomb stands on the north slope of Zhongshan, opposite the Xiaoling of the Hongwu emperor, a placement reserved for the highest-ranking founding officials. In 2003 it was inscribed with the Ming Xiaoling as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2006 it was merged into the national protected site of the Ming tombs.

The spirit path is lined with a pair of octagonal stone columns, then a stone horse, sheep and tiger, followed by a military officer and a civil official. The right horse is finished and has a groom; the left one was left half-carved. The stele by Dong Lun, dated 1386, stands about 30 m to the left of the path facing it, unlike other Ming merit tombs.

The site sits on a hillside, so visitors should expect slopes and uneven paths throughout the grounds. Good footwear and allowing enough time to explore the area thoroughly are important considerations.

On the spirit path, the right-hand stone horse is finished and paired with a groom, while the left-hand horse is a half-worked block. The pair shows how the tomb's stone figures were carved on site and left in different stages of completion.