Yandi Mausoleum

Yandi Mausoleum is the burial place of Yan Emperor Shennong, the ancestor of the Chinese nation. It is located 19 kilometers (12 miles) west of Yanling County and 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province. In history, it has undergone many destructions and reconstructions. The current Yandi Mausoleum was reconstructed in 1986 based on the structure of Yandi Mausoleum in Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD), and mainly consists of Yandi Temple and Shennong Hall. It covers an area of 3,836 square meters (4,588 square yards) and is the holy land for Chinese people at home and abroad to worship the ancestor Yan Emperor.
 Yandi, formly known as Yan Emperor, was an outstanding tribal leader in ancient China. He was born in the Neolithic period (10,200 BC- 200 BC). He was the founder of Chinese farming culture and had made great contributions to the beginning and reproduction of the Chinese nation.
 Yandi Temple is the main attraction of Yandi Mausoleum. It is symmetrically arranged along the north-south axis of the mausoleum. It is 73.4 meters (80.4 yards) long, 40 meters (44 yards) wide, with the construction area of 903 square meters (1,080 square yards). It consists of the Meridian Gate, the Ceremonial Pavilion, the Main Hall, the Tombstone Pavilion, and the Mausoleum, and inherits the architectural style and characteristics of the Qing Dynasty. 

The Meridian Gate, a symbol of the imperial supremacy in ancient China, demonstrates the sovereignty of Yandi in the heart of the Chinese nation. The Ceremonial Pavilion is the place where people offer sacrifices and burn incenses to worship their ancestor. The Main Hall is the tallest building in Yandi Mausoleum. On the two stone pillars at the entrance to the main hall, a few couplets are engraved; they summarize the most important achievements of Yandi, making the tilling tool for farming and discovering a variey of plants to use in Chinese Herbal Medicine. There is a wood statue of Yan Emperor in the middle of the hall. In the middle of the Tombstone Pavilion is a white marble tombstone, engraved with Chinese characters “Tomb of Yandi Shennong” inscribed by the former Chinese Chairman Hu Yaobang. Behind the Tombstone Pavilion is the Mausoleum of Yan Emperor.
 The Shennong Hall is located in the east axis of the Yandi Mausoleum. It covers a construction area of 1,413 square meters (1,690 square yards) . Inside the hall is the granite stone Yandi statue with a height of 9.7 meters (31.9 feet). There are red sandstone murals which vividly tell the contributions of Yandi to the Chinese nation on the three walls of the hall. In front of the Shennong Hall is a public sacrifice square which was built for the large-scale public ceremonies. It is 59 meters (65 yards) long and 41 meters (45 yards) wide and is also the largest square in Yandi Mausoleum.
 There are more than ten long-distance buses from Zhuzhou Long-distance Bus Station to Yanling Long-distance Bus Station around every 50 minutes. The journey takes around 3 hours and the fee is about CNY 80. Then take the long-distance bus from Yanling to Yandi Mausoleum which departs about every 50 minutes. The cost for taking the long-distance bus is around CNY 6 and the journey may take about half an hour.
 

Admission Fee	CNY 62 for an adult CNY 40 for children between 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). Free for children below 1.3 meters
Opening Time	08:00-18:00
Suggested Visiting Time	2-3 hours