The Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is located to the west of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. It has been inscribed in the World Heritage List and is the first World Cultural Heritage site in the ancient capital city of Nanjing.

The preparation for the construction of the tomb began in 1376 and was completed in 1413. Though it has been standing for more than 600 hundred years, the main structure still remains with the same historical features. It is one of the biggest preserved emperor tombs in China. The layout of tomb carries the philosophy of the imperial court in the front and residence at the back, it is square in front and round at the back. As for the structure, a square base and tall buildings, as well as oval base and archtop forms were adopted, setting the precedent for imperial tomb standards for emperors after the Ming and Qing dynasties. The 13 Ming Tombs in Beijing, East and West Tomb of the Qing Dynasty in Hebei Province, and the Fu and Zhao Tomb in Shenyang are all built in accordance with the rules laid by the Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Therefore, Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is also reputed as a milestone in the history of imperial tombs. The zigzagging heavenly paths and its plough-like layout are part of the unique layout of Chinese imperial tombs.