Ming Palace, Imperial palace ruins in Nanjing, China

The Ming Palace is a historic palace complex in Nanjing in Jiangsu, China, that now appears as an open archaeological field with visible foundations, stone paths, and gateway openings. The structures lie partly exposed and partly shaded by trees, forming an open network of ruin fields that convey the original layout.

The palace grounds were built starting in 1366 under the rule of Zhu Yuanzhang, who resided here as the first Ming emperor. The complex lost its central role after the third Ming emperor shifted the power center in the early 15th century, and it fell into decline over the following centuries.

The name means "Ming Former Palace", used after the Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing in 1420 and Nanjing kept a reserve court. The gate platforms of the Meridian Gate, Donghua Gate and Xi'an Gate still stand, though their wooden gatehouses are gone and the Meridian Gate's protruding wings were demolished for the 1930s airstrip.

The tour leads over level paths between exposed wall remains and is easy to explore on foot. A visit in the morning offers more comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds, especially during the summer months.

The palace was built on the filled bed of Yanque Lake, so workers drove dense wooden piles of Chinese fir, 16 to 36 cm across and 3 to 6 m long, into the soft ground beneath the foundations. The northern halls later sank and the inner court flooded easily, as when the Xingning Palace stood with water several chi deep before it.