Yangshan Quarry

Yangshan Quarry is a stone extraction site in eastern Nanjing, where limestone was cut for centuries and where today massive rock walls and carved blocks remain visible. The site extends over hilly sections, where visitors find exposed extraction surfaces, abandoned tools, and giant stone components that were never completed.

Extraction began in the Six Dynasties period and continued until the Ming Dynasty, when the quarry supplied material for imperial buildings and tombs. The last major works remained unfinished in the 15th century, after a stele project for the Xiaoling Mausoleum was abandoned.

The quarry shows traces of old Chinese working methods, visible directly on the walls where tools and hands removed stone piece by piece. Visitors still recognize the grooves and patterns that generations of stonemasons left during their work.

The site opens daily and is best visited in the morning, when light illuminates the rock walls well and paths are less crowded. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear, as the terrain includes uneven trails and stone steps.

Three huge, unfinished parts of a stele still lie in place, including a base that weighs more than 16,000 tons. They were never moved, because their weight and size exceeded even the abilities of Ming engineers.