Eastern Qing Tombs - 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.