Beijing - Eastern Qing Tombs Qing Dongling
In the region of Zunhua, a small city about 100km/62mi to the east of Beijing, is an area forming the eastern Qing necropolis. In the fourteen tombs lie five Qing emperors (1644-1911), fifteen empresses, 136 concubines and five princesses. The building of the first imperial tomb began in 1663 and took several years to complete. The mausoleums here are built underground like the ones in the Ming Necropolis, and in front of every tomb stand several memorial buildings.
|
Must-see attractions nearby:
|
The last to be buried here were the Guanxu emperors (1871-1908) and the emperor's widow Cixi (1835-1908).
As in the Ming necropolis, a spirit alley with stone figures forms the access for all tombs which all consist of a gate, a sacrificial hall and a burial mound with stele pavilion and underground burial chamber.
As in the Ming necropolis, a spirit alley with stone figures forms the access for all tombs which all consist of a gate, a sacrificial hall and a burial mound with stele pavilion and underground burial chamber.
Related Attractions
Cixi Tomb
From an architectural point of view the Cixi tomb is the most splendid of the Eastern Qing Tombs. It is situated about 1km/3/4mi to the west of the Yuling tomb. Worth seeing is the high-relief on the enormous stone tablet which takes up the whole middle section of the steps leading up to the main hall of the mausoleum; at the top is a portrayal of a phoenix to symbolize the empress, and at the bottom is a dragon to symbolize the emperor. This representation suggests that the empress who had deposed the emperor is of far greater importance.
Yuling
Yuling is the tomb of Emperor Qianlong (reigned: 1735-96). On the walls of the ''underground palace'' with its four decorative gates, are Buddha reliefs with inscriptions in Sanskrit and Tibetan.
More China Resources
- Beijing tours and things to do by Viator
