The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area on the eastern outskirts of Nanjing, adjacent to Linggu Temple to the east and Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum to the west. The entire architectural complex is built according to the mountain terrain, arranged from south to north on a central axis, and the cemetery’s layout presents a pattern resembling a ‘bell’.
The overall distribution of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum includes the Bo’ai Arch, the tomb path, the mausoleum gate, the stele pavilion, the memorial hall, and the tomb chamber among other structures. At the entrance square of the mausoleum, there stands a tall granite arch with the golden characters ‘Bo’ai’ inscribed on it. Moving north past the Bo’ai Arch, one encounters a tomb path nearly 400 meters long, consisting of 392 stone steps with a drop of 73 meters.
Proceeding along the tomb path leads to the mausoleum gate, topped with blue-glazed tiles and inscribed with the four large characters ‘For the Public Good’. Further in is the stele pavilion, and then the memorial hall. To reach the top of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, one must climb a long flight of steps, with platforms at intervals for resting. There is a visual trick in the design that makes the steps visible from below and the platforms visible from above; you may wish to observe this carefully.
On the fifth platform, there are two large cauldrons, one of which still bears a cannonball hole from the Japanese invasion of China. The memorial hall, situated atop the peak, is the main structure of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, styled after a palace. Above the central gate, there is a vertical plaque inscribed with ‘Upright Energy of Heaven and Earth’. In the center of the memorial hall, there is a seated statue carved from white marble, with six reliefs engraved on the base.
The tomb chamber inside the memorial hall has two sets of bronze tomb doors, and within is a circular tomb chamber with a rectangular tomb. The tomb chamber is not open to the public. Surrounding the mausoleum, there are also memorial structures such as the Music Platform, Guanghua Pavilion, Liuhui Pavilion, Yangzhi Pavilion, Sun Yat-sen Academy, Tibetan Scripture Building, and Xingjian Pavilion.
Charging standard: 5 yuan per 15 minutes. The piece-rate charging standard is 60 yuan per time. During New Year’s Day, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival short holidays and weekends, the time-based charging standard is 5 yuan per 15 minutes, and the piece-rate charging standard is 40 yuan per time. Other charging standards remain unchanged. Time-based charging standard: during the day, small vehicles are 3 yuan per 15 minutes, and large vehicles are 5 yuan per 15 minutes.
At night, small vehicles are 1 yuan per hour, and large vehicles are 1.5 yuan per hour. Piece-rate charging standard: during the day, small vehicles are 15 yuan per time, and large vehicles are 25 yuan per time. At night, small vehicles are 6 yuan per time, and large vehicles are 10 yuan per time. Luggage storage: Reference price: 10 yuan per day per piece. Address: Tourist Service Center. Scenic area interpretation: The interpretation service center (at the entrance of Zhongshan Mausoleum) and the tour guide service point at Zhongshan Mausoleum Bo’ai Square both provide tour guide interpretation services. Route A: For the whole line (Book of Filial Piety Tripod, Bo’ai Memorial Archway, Mausoleum Gate, Stele Pavilion, Memorial Hall), for groups of 30 people (inclusive) or less, the manual interpretation costs 95 yuan for 60-70 minutes. For groups of more than 30 people, the manual interpretation costs 100 yuan for 60-70 minutes. Route B: For Music Terrace, for groups of 30 people (inclusive) or less, the manual interpretation costs 45 yuan for about 30 minutes. For groups of more than 30 people, the manual interpretation costs 50 yuan for about 30 minutes. Foreign language tour guide interpretation uses wireless team interpreters. For a group of 30 people, it costs 150 yuan per session, and the interpretation time is 70-80 minutes. Transportation within the park: Address: Muxuyuan subway station. Interpreter rental: Reference price: Rent is 10 yuan per unit, and deposit is 50 yuan per unit. Address: Interpretation service center (at the entrance of Zhongshan Mausoleum) and the tour guide service point at Zhongshan Mausoleum Bo’ai Square. Stroller rental: Reference price: Free, but a deposit of 1000 yuan is required. Address: Tourist Center. Toilets: There are four toilets in the scenic area. You can choose to use them according to the guide signs. Convenience stores: There are convenience stores in the scenic area, located near the entrance of the scenic area. They support WeChat and Alipay payments.
