The mausoleum was designed in the shape of an alarm bell, reflecting Dr. Sun's idea of "evoking the mass people to buildthe Republic of China". The bronze statue of his image at the foot of the mountain is the spire of the bell，and the semi-circle square in front of the entrance resembles the arch top of the bell. The main memorial hall's vault looks like the pendulum. The huge bronze Ding (an ancient cooking vessel with two or three loop handles), a symbol of power in ancient times is seen as the hand of the bell.
A granite memorial archway, or Paifang which is inscribed with two Chinese characters written by Dr. Sun with the meaning of "fraternity", leads to the mausoleum grounds.Immediately behind is a 375-meter-long and 40-meter-wide pathway leading slightly up the hill to the formal gate hall with three arched entrances. On the upper part of the gate is inscribed four Chinese characters written by Dr. Sun, meaning, "the nation is people's nation and everyone shall serve the nation selflessly" (Tian Xia Wei Gong). From here the pathway leads up a wide stairway consisting of 392 steps and 8 terraces to the main memorial hall at the top. From the top, none of the terraces can be seen while from the top, none of the steps can enter the eyes This can be viewed as an engineer reflection of Dr. Sun's philosophy of all people being equal.
Inside the gate hall, there is a pavilion which houses Dr. Sun's memorial tablet, a huge stone stele about 6 meters in height. Behind this and at the end to steps is the main memorial hall, consisting of the sacrificial hall and the coffin chamber. On the eighth terrace there is a pair of ancient Chinese ornamental columns (Huabiao), standing respectively on each side of the 12.6 meters high memorial hall.
The sacrificial hall is actually a palace with three entries, with the inscriptions of "nationalism" "civil rights" and "people's livelihood" respectively on each entry. The hall's ceiling is tiled with a flag of the Republic of China, which Dr. Sun Yat-sen established in 1911. In the center of the hall sits the 4.6-meter-high marble statue of a sitting Dr. Sun Yat-sen. On the four sides of the statue there are relief sculptures reflecting Sun's glorious revolutionary life. The walls of the hall are decorated with the full text of "The Guidelines for Establishing a Nation" written by Dr. Sun and "The Premier's Will" compiled by Huhanmin, etc. Visitors will not only learn of Sun's efforts and achievements in overthrowing the feudal system, but also his ideology about the independence, prosperity and development of the country.
North to the sacrificial hall is the circular coffin chamber, the resting place of Sun's remains. They lie in a rectangular marble stone coffin capped with a reclining sculpture of Dr. Sun , which is the work of a Czechic sculptor. The coffin sits in a sunken circular pit with a diameter of 4 meters and a height of 5 meters so that visitors can gaze down on it as they circle around in silence.
Over the last three decades, Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum has witnessed enormous changes. The whole mausoleum and its memorial buildings have been extensively renovated several times. Tourists to Nanjing usually visit the mausoleum and pay their respects to Sun Yat-sen, the great revolutionist. Endowed with rolling hills, a vast sea-like forest, many sights and rich resources, the mausoleum is majestic and magnificent. With the unique and successful design, the mausoleum has been dubbed "the First Mausoleum in the History of Modern Architecture ".
