Jingshan and the Emperor's Tree (景山)

Peking · China · Natural site

On the hill behind the Forbidden City, the last Ming emperor hanged himself in 1644 – the tree itself was put in chains as 'the guilty scholar tree'.

When the rebel Li Zicheng's armies broke through Beijing's walls in April 1644, the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, fled up Jingshan, the hill north of the Forbidden City. There he hanged himself from a pagoda tree, with only the faithful eunuch Wang Cheng'en at his side – the eunuch followed him into death. In his farewell note, written in blood according to legend, the emperor begged the rebels to spare his people, but let his hair cover his face: he dared not meet his ancestors in the underworld. The new Qing dynasty had the tree bound in iron chains and condemned it as 'the guilty scholar tree'. Visitors still speak of a sudden chill by the tree at dusk, and of a lone figure in imperial yellow glimpsed on the eastern slope where a dynasty died.

FAQ

Where is Jingshan and the Emperor's Tree (景山) located?

Jingshan and the Emperor's Tree (景山) is in Peking, China.

More haunted places in Peking