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Zhongshan Mausoleum Nanjing
Nanjing · Jiangsu · Place

Zhongshan Mausoleum Nanjing

Sun Yat-sen's marble mausoleum climbs Purple Mountain in 392 steps, Nanjing.

Lena ZhouWritten and signed by Lena Zhou
4.9/5RatingFree with real-name reservationTicketTue-Sun 08:30-17:00 (closed Mondays)Opening hours

What it actually is

Zhongshan Mausoleum sits on the southern slope of Purple Mountain in Nanjing. Designed in 1926 by Lu Yanzhi and completed in 1929, it is the burial place of Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan, 1866-1925), the founding father of the Republic of China (1912-1949). Entry is free but requires a real-name reservation with a passport or mainland ID.

Editor's take

Lena Zhou
Lena ZhouWritten and signed by
The verdict

Worth going if you have at least half a day in Nanjing and want the iconic view; skip if you have mobility issues and cannot climb, or if it is a summer midday - go early or skip.

What's great
The view from the top of the staircase over the Nanjing plain is genuinely worth the climb.
Free admission plus easy metro access makes this one of the lowest-friction heritage stops in the city.
Pairing with Ming Xiaoling turns a half-day into a very full half-day without backtracking.
Worth knowing
It is crowded - Chinese tour groups arrive in waves from late morning on.
The reservation system requires a passport upload; some foreign travelers report it is fiddly on mobile.
Mondays are closed; many visitors only find out at the gate.
Grounded in 154+ traveller reviews. Distilled by our editors from traveller reviews on Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

Essentials

Opening hoursTue-Sun 08:30-17:00 (closed Mondays)
TicketFree with real-name reservation
Contact+86 25-84437774
Rating4.9/5

Good to know

Real-name reservation requiredEvery visitor must register with a passport or mainland ID on the official Zhongshan scenic area website at least one day in advance
Quiet visiting expectedThe mausoleum is a memorial site. Visitors are asked to keep voices low, avoid flash photography inside the Sacrificial Hall
Metro Line 2 to Muxuyuan (Mùxùyuán), Exit 1, then 15 min walk.
Pleasant months are March-May and October-November; summers are humid.
Wear comfortable shoes - the 392-step climb is steeper than it looks.
No flash photography inside the Sacrificial Hall; keep voices low.

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The 392-step marble approach

From the granite memorial archway the white-marble staircase climbs 392 steps in eight 50-step flights, each landing turning so the next view of the Nanjing plain opens only as you round the corner.

Sacrificial Hall (Baiyidian)

At the top sits the Sacrificial Hall, a blue-tiled hall housing a 4.6 m marble statue of Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan, 1866-1925), founding father of the Republic of China (1912-1949), carved by the French sculptor Paul Landowski in 1930.

Architect Lu Yanzhi's fusion

Lu Yanzhi (1894-1929) blended Chinese imperial tomb geometry - the long axial approach and octagonal layout - with a Western neoclassical colonnade; the result reads as both a memorial hall and a temple gate.

Getting there

metroMetro Line 2 to Muxuyuan (Mùxùyuán), Exit 1, then 15 min walk.
busScenic-area shuttle CNY 10/ride, links metro, Ming Xiaoling and Linggu.
didiDiDi to the gate; cars cannot enter the inner scenic roads.
walkMusic Terrace is 5 min uphill from the mausoleum gate.
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