The Xianling Tomb at Zhongxiang is one of the finest and least-visited of China's imperial mausoleums — a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed together with the Ming Tombs near Beijing and the Eastern Qing Tombs in 2000) that sees a fraction of the crowds of its more famous counterparts. The complex is the mausoleum of Zhu Youjian, father of the Jiajing Emperor, who was elevated posthumously to imperial status in one of the most contentious political episodes of the Ming dynasty.
The approach to the tomb through its spirit road — flanked by stone animals and officials — is as impressive as any in China. The outer enclosure is ringed by an ancient cypress forest that gives the site a hushed, solemn quality entirely different from the tourist-busy Ming Tombs. The tomb mound itself sits at the end of a sequence of ceremonial gates and courtyards that unfold over more than a kilometre. The adjacent Yuanyou Palace, built between 1540 and 1553, is one of the best-preserved Ming ancestral ritual complexes outside Beijing, with original painted beams and carved stonework in remarkable condition.
Zhongxiang is about 40 kilometres east of Jingmen city centre and accessible by bus. Allow half a day for the tomb and palace complex. The surrounding area is pleasant and largely undeveloped, which contributes to the sense that you are seeing the site as it was meant to be seen.