Ming Palace Ruins Park

Location: Nanjing

The Ming Palace was the blueprint for Beijing Palace , consisting of the Imperial City and Palace City with a combined name of Imperial Palace . Ming Palace , situated in the southeast of Nanjing City , used to be Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial palace in the Ming Dynasty. There were the Imperial Ancestral Temple , the state altar and all facilities of the imperial palace. When Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing , he built Beijing Imperial Palace in imitation of Ming Palace in Nanjing . Ming Palace was destroyed in the war at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Now what remain are only some carved stones, building foundation, column base, etc. Before its destruction this palace was a splendid structure and the Imperial Palace in Beijing is said to be modeled after it. The palace was damaged by two fires and fell into disrepair after the Ming court moved to Beijing . The Manchus also looted the palace as did Qing and Western troops during the Taiping Rebellion. Today, all that remains of the former grandeur are some foundation stones, stone lions and the stone screen wall facing the former palace.