Eastern Qīng Tombs 清东陵
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond
This claims to be the largest and most complete group of imperial tombs in China, including five for emperors, four for empresses, five for concubines and one for a princess, containing altogether five emperors, 15 empresses, 136 concubines, three princes and two princesses (but figures given vary from source to source). There’s a sketch map of the site on the back of the ticket.
The first to be buried was the Shùnzhì emperor in 1663, also the first Qīng emperor to sit on the throne in Běijīng. The last to be entombed was an imperial concubine as late as 1935. The five emperors here are:
Shùnzhì 1644–61 Xiào Líng open
Kāngxī 1662–1722 Jǐng Líng open
Qiánlóng 1736–95 Yù Líng open
Xiánfēng 1851–61 Dìng Líng open
Tóngzhì 1862–74 Huì Líng
The tombs of the Dowager Empress Cíxǐ and Empress Cí’ān in the twin Dìng Dōng Líng are also open, as are those of the Qiánlóng emperor’s concubines and the Èrláng Miào (Èrláng God Temple, as the tickets put it).
The Eastern Qīng Tombs have been open for nearly 30 years but were little visited until they acquired UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2004, always guaranteed to increase revenues. Indeed, this rather than conservation is the purpose of applying for listing in China. It has also done nothing to protect the site from illegal iron ore mining within a few hundred metres of the Huì Líng. Nevertheless, the tombs, lapped by orchards and rows of cabbages, have more atmosphere than those of the Míng and still see far fewer visitors.
The approach to the site is by narrow roads to either side of the main spirit way, built as the long approach to Shùnzhì’s tomb, the Xiào Líng. There’s a substantial five-gate white stone páilou, a Dà Hóng Mén or Great Red Gate, huábiǎo, wàngzhù, and tomb guardian figures all like those of the Míng Tombs although less finely carved. Several of the other tombs have smaller collections of guardian figures close to their own entrances, although the Qīng animals don’t tend to be as well-carved as the Míng ones.
The Xiào Líng is both the oldest and the largest tomb and was the model for the construction of most of the others, but the most interesting are the Dìng Dōng Líng and the Yù Líng, both of whose tomb chambers can be entered. The most obvious place to park, and also where tour buses and minibuses from Zūnhuà arrive, is at a collection of poor and overpriced tourist restaurants and food stalls almost directly outside the Dìng Dōng Líng, the twin tombs of the Dowager Empress Cíxǐ and Empress Cí’ān.
Dìng Dōng Líng 定东陵
gps 40º11’100”N, 117º37’901”E
The nursery-rhyme sound to the name of this tomb often brings an involuntary smile to the face of the English speaker, but means quite soberly that empresses were typically buried to the east (dōng) of their emperor’s tomb — in this case the Xiánfēng emperor’s Dìng Líng, the Tomb of Calmness or Stability.
Cíxǐ, in the right-hand of the twin complexes, was a lesser concubine of the Xiánfēng emperor. She rose to higher favour after bearing the emperor a son, which the Empress Cí’ān, who is buried in the left-hand (or western) of the two tombs, and whom Cíxǐ may have poisoned, had failed to do. See The End of the Emperors.
The two tombs are identical in scale and were originally built 1873–79 with nearly identical exteriors, although Cíxǐ had hers rebuilt in 1895–1908, long after Cí’ān’s death in 1881, on the pretext that it had fallen into disrepair. She spent millions of taels of silver on what is the most luxurious of all the Qīng tombs before dying in 1908, but didn’t occupy it until an auspicious date almost two years later.
Cíxǐ’s tomb is approached over an arched bridge, and everywhere there are reminders of the Forbidden City, such as the water-loving dragon-fish (鸱吻, chīwěn) acting as spouts at the corners of the terraces. However, the courtyards (as at every other tomb on the site) are pitted and uneven, as the imperial palace would itself look if it hadn’t received at least modest maintenance.
The layout is standard, the left-hand halls being where annual prayers for Cíxǐ were said. The painted beams here were magnificent in 1895 but have not been much touched-up since then. Unlike the gaudiness of most other palaces and tombs, the halls of Cíxǐ’s tomb have their motifs painted in gold on dark wood, recalling the atmosphere of the buildings in the northeast of the Forbidden City where she spent her last years.
The main hall (as usual, named the Hall of Eminent Favour) is on a single plinth with a phoenix-dragon pavement between the stairs up. This is said to be unique, in that the phoenix takes the superior position — an indication that Cíxǐ, rather than the emperor, was the true ruler of the Great Qīng Empire. The same can be found at the tomb of the Empress Cí’ān, with whom she initially shared power, next door.
The walls are made entirely of carved and gilded bricks, and gilt bronze dragons curl spectacularly all the way round and down columns claimed to be of rosewood instead of the usual cedar. The dragons may be modern replacements for those ripped down by warlord Sūn (see below) but are impressive nevertheless. The beams are painted with further golden dragons and claimed to be of pear wood, and the ceiling is high so that most of the internal beam structure of the hall is visible, and it contains display cases with models of the various ceremonies performed here, assorted burial paraphernalia, and waxworks of Cíxǐ with attendants. She’s shown here as she often liked to appear, dressed as the Goddess of Mercy, Guānyīn. She came to believe herself a reincarnation of the goddess, although a less merciful person would be hard to imagine. Eight carved brick screens carry patterns of Buddhist peace symbols and further evidence of Cíxǐ’s interest in bats (see Wànshòu Sì), the word for ‘bat’ being homophonous with that for ‘good fortune’.
The remainder of the tomb has the usual arrangement, but in the soul tower at the rear a passage leads down to the tomb chamber itself, through sets of vast solid marble doors with carved lion-head door knockers, to a plain chamber with a single decaying shipping-container-like coffin. An alternative wooden walkway gives access to the rear, from where stairs lead up to the soul tower’s balcony and a circular crenellated raised walkway around the tomb mound. The stele inside the tower has inscriptions in both Manchu and Chinese, and there are views across tidy agriculture to neighbouring towers, enabling you to get your bearings.
Cíxǐ is said to have been buried with three jewel-encrusted gold thread quilts and hundreds of other treasures, all looted in 1928 by a minor warlord called Sūn Diànyīng (孙殿英), who scattered her bones around the site for good measure. He also broke into Qiánlóng’s tomb, which may account for why the tomb chambers of these two are open to the public today and the others are not. Concubine tombs were also rifled. Under article four of the abdication agreement of 1912, the Republic guaranteed to guard the Qīng mausolea and continue the rites performed regularly there. Its apparent complete indifference to Sūn’s pillaging of the tombs is said to have helped to drive a distressed Pǔyí into accepting the position of puppet emperor of Manchuria from the much-hated Japanese forces in China.
There is an exhibition centre at the southeast corner of the site, included in the ticket, used for a regrettably nationalistic exhibition that can be avoided.
A neighbouring bridge leads to Cí’ān’s tomb, whose layout is the same. The left-hand hall in the courtyard has a display of ceramics. The tomb is not as magnificent as its neighbour, less well cared-for and more conventionally painted (all the tombs seem gaudy after Cíxǐ’s). The courtyard is more broken up still, and the carved pavement again has the phoenix on top, which is supposed to be a unique indication of Cíxǐ’s political control but perhaps refers to Cí’ān’s period ‘behind the curtain’ until she was unwise enough to cross Cíxǐ. The main hall’s painted interior has the traditional red pillars and displays of ceramics, a large collection of rúyì (如意, ornamental sceptres), comb sets made from ivory, saddles, cloisonné, and costumes, although not always open for public access. In the right-hand hall there’s fine lacquerware, embroidery, necklaces, and fans. There’s no access to the soul tower or tomb chamber.
▶ On foot, as you leave Cí’ān’s tomb follow the watercourse west (to the right) then round to the south to reach a T-junction with a village road. Turn right, and you’ll see the steep yellow roofs of the Dìng Líng and then a right fork onto a tarmac road. Total walking time about 10 mins through maize and lóng’ān, green fruit on low bushes.
Dìng Líng 定陵
gps 40º08’80.8”N, 117º41’63.7”E
The Xiánfēng emperor was the seventh Qīng emperor to reign from Běijīng, and work on his tomb was begun in 1859, the ninth year of his reign, although not completed until five years after his death. It is said to have cost 3,440,000 taels of silver (around 130,000kg), even though much material was recycled from the tomb of his father the Dàoguāng emperor, which after the interment of his first empress was found to be flooded and so was abandoned for a fresh site at the Western Qīng Tombs.
The long approach to the Dìng Líng from the south has a small group of standing guardian animals. As with other tombs, the complex at the southeast corner that was the slaughterhouse (referred to in Chinese guides as the ‘offerings kitchen’) is now used as residences for the staff and offices.
In the main courtyard the hall on the left side has disappeared altogether, and overall the site is in middling condition, with lots of grass growing up between the flagstones. The large, two-storey, green and blue hall, slightly unusual in its lack of a porch or surrounding balustrades on three sides, has been partly repainted and contains a waxwork of a ceremony taking place to honour the emperor. The rear part of the tomb leading to the soul tower is not open.
▶ The tomb for the Xiánfēng emperor’s other concubines, the Dìng Fēi Yuán Qǐn, lies set back between the Dìng Líng and the Dìng Dōng Líng, but its entrance is blocked by large piles of stacked yellow roof tiles, and its entrance path ends abruptly among orchards. Chickens peck at the crevices between the slabs of the marble bridges.
Return from the southeast corner and at the fork carry on back the way you came along the farm road that runs along the north side of a supposedly Manchu village. Both here and at the Western Qīng Tombs many residents of villlages within the tomb area claim to be of Manchu descent. There are several nóng jiā yuán (农家院), some claiming to be Manchu-run, offering very basic accommodation, such as the Dōng Líng Nóng Jiā Yuàn, t 0315 694 9567. There are also some rather poor restaurants here.
Carry on across the south side of the Dìng Dōng Líng, past where tour buses park, and continue east, taking the first major left, which leads straight up to the Yù Fēi Yuán Qǐn, the multiple tombs of the Qiánlóng emperor’s concubines.
Yù Fēi Yuán Qǐn 裕妃园寝
gps 40º11’14.9”N, 117º38’31.44”E
The Qiánlóng emperor was an energetic man, leading various successful military expeditions and several major tours around the empire he ruled for more than 50 years. In addition, the tomb for his consorts and concubines contains no fewer than 37 of them, and there are five more in his own tomb. The partly restored green-roofed complex has its right-hand hall missing, and the main hall contains portraits of various concubines. The tomb chamber contains one favoured consort and an empress Qiánlóng grew to dislike and whom he snubbed by burying her with his concubines. The others lie beneath 35 mossy circular tumuli resembling giant beehives. These are forlorn, overgrown with grasses, and have projecting water spouts. The most significant tomb, to the right of the main tomb, is that of the Fragrant Concubine (Xiāng Fēi, 香妃), with steps leading down to the tomb chamber.
▶ The yellow roofs of the Yù Líng, the Qiánlóng emperor’s tomb, can be seen to the east, about five minutes’ walk away through fields of maize and often past stalls run by local villagers, selling drinks and the produce they’ve grown themselves. “I can see Qiánlóng’s tomb from my house,” says one. If you’re in a vehicle, return south and turn east, passing the Yù Líng and turning left up its east side for the car park.
Yù Líng 裕陵
gps 40º11’10”N, 117º37’90.1”E
The highlight of the Qiánlóng emperor’s own tomb is across the three particularly beautiful marble bridges behind his main Hall of Eminent Favour, which contains various imperial portraits, and down the ramp beneath the soul tower to a series of chambers separated by finely carved solid marble doors. Every square inch of the walls and of the high arched ceilings is engraved with an assortment of Buddhist figures and more than 30,000 words of Tibetan scripture. The first chamber has the four heavenly kings, or Deva kings, in relief, found as guardians at the entrance of most Buddhist temples. The doors are also carved with figures of bodhisattvas (beings on the road to enlightenment willing to share their spiritual credit with others). The innermost pair is off its hinges, having been broken down by tomb robbers (probably Sūn and his confederates), who also destroyed three of the original six coffins (those of Qiánlóng, two empresses, and three senior concubines). The underground chambers with their three-ton solid marble doors are by far the most magnificent of any imperial tomb yet excavated, and are by themselves worth coming all the way from Běijīng to see.
A large table model of the site in the main hall shows the location of various lesser, mostly concubine, tombs not open or included in the ticket, and a side hall has a modest exhibition of jewellery. The Ancient Creatures Fossil Exhibition may be ignored.
▶ The car park is behind the buildings for preparing sacrifices at the southeast corner of the site, from where a path leads east. Pass the first left turn and continue east until a main spirit way is reached, with the yellow roofs of the Xiào Líng visible to the left (the guardian statues far to the south). It’s a 15 to 20-minute walk, so if trying to see all the open tombs in a limited time it might be best to hire a farm vehicle instead: not comfortable, but practical, and ¥5 is enough to pay to be taken around the remainder of the site.
Xiào Líng 孝陵
gps 40º11’53.9”N, 117º39’11.7”E
Shùnzhì was the first Qīng emperor to reign from Běijīng, coming to the throne in 1643 shortly before the occupation of the capital and subsequent absorption of the whole of the Míng empire, but most of his reign was spent under the regent Dorgon, and he died in 1661 shortly before his 23rd birthday. His tomb was the first on this site, and a model for others at both the Eastern and Western Qīng Tombs, although those that followed are mostly a little less elaborate.
By now the layout is familiar, although the attendants allow their children to play badminton in the courtyard. In front of the Hall of Eminent Favour the bronzes of deer and cranes are joined by ones of two goats and a cow, representing sacrificial animals.The hall has received some repainting and contains an exhibition on the emperor’s life, with nothing in English. The rear of the tomb is not open and the tomb chamber itself is said never to have been excavated.
Jǐng Líng, Zhāo Xī Líng, Èrláng Miào 景陵, 昭西陵, 二郎庙
The tào piào also admits you to three more sites, and there are many closed tombs whose exteriors can be viewed, although some of these are at quite a distance from the main group.
The Jǐng Líng is the tomb of Kāngxī and surprisingly modest, given that he oversaw a period of stability and prosperity and was possibly the greatest emperor the Chinese ever had. The tomb is well to the south and east of the Xiào Líng and best reached by road, hiring a farm vehicle if necessary (gps 40º11’19” N, 117º39’79” E). The route is back down the spirit way, turning left at the next major junction some distance after skirting the five-arch bridge. After passing a big Buddha statue of modern manufacture, you turn left up the Jǐng Líng spirit way opposite the ruins of a stelae pavilion, and go over another another elegant five-arch bridge. The wàngzhù and guardian figures are placed on an unusual curve in the road, close to the tomb itself, offering the best chance to view such figures at this site: they are more decorated than those at earlier tombs. There’s still evidence of the fire that destroyed the main hall in 1905. Later rebuilt, it has no contents.
The Zhāo Xī Líng has a striking double-eaved tower unique to this tomb, but access is limited. Returning from the Jǐng Líng to the main route south from the Xiào Líng, turn left (south) and continue for some kilometres past the main stele pavilion and through the site’s main gate, and round the ceremonial five-arch páilou, by which time the soul tower can be seen to the east (left) and can be reached on a path directly from the páilou.
In a vehicle take the next left turn and then left again (gps 40º08’55” N, 117º41’06” E).
This tomb was built for the Shùnzhì emperor’s mother, the Empress Dowager Xiàozhuāng, but was not begun until her death at the age of 75 during the reign of her grandson, the Kāngxī emperor. It was not completed until the following Yōngzhèng reign, some 35 years later. She technically outranks all others buried at this site and was supposedly much revered by the Kāngxī emperor who ascended the throne when only eight years old and lost his own mother two years later. Xiàozhuāng managed his education, helped avert a possible coup by one of his regents, and remained a valued and influential adviser until her death.
There are various stories as to why her tomb is therefore outside the main complex and at some distance. One theory has it that she married Shùnzhì’s regent Dorgon, thereby earning the ire of her son, who stripped Dorgon of his titles after his death (see X+ref to come). Alternatively, she should have been buried with her husband at the Qīng imperial tombs at what is now the northeastern Chinese city of Shěnyáng, but preferred not to disturb her long-dead emperor and to remain nearer the also long-dead son she missed. The tomb is indeed west (Xī) of her husband’s Zhāo Líng in Shěnyáng, whose soul tower sports the same double eaves.
But the story is perhaps more interesting than the site, and its distance from the main cluster may be a problem if time is short.
The Èrláng Miào is reached by continuing east from the Jǐng Líng, passing on the north side of the road the once open but now inaccessible Shuāng Fēi Yuán Qǐn, with twin green-roofed towers for concubines particularly valued by Kāngxī. Then cross the site of the dismantled tomb originally intended for the Dàoguāng emperor, taking the first right actually while on that site, left at the crossroads in the next village, and first right again. This is a heavily restored daoist temple dedicated to Lǚ Dòngbīn, one of the Eight Immortals, and reached via a steep flight of stairs. At least at the rear this is a modern functioning temple you probably won’t regard as particularly striking. Pushy vendors try to insist you buy incense for burning,
▶ Qīng Dōng Líng, 137km E of Běijīng in Héběi Province, t 0315 694 9851, www.qingdongling.com, gps 40º11’12”N, 117º38’51.7”E, 8.30am–4.30pm. ¥122. b weekend tour bus (see below) or from Sìhuì bus station irregularly but about every 40mins from 6.25am to Zūnhuà (遵化), 3.5hrs, then a minibus to the site itself. taxi under 3hrs, ¥500 or less, including tolls.
The simplest way to reach the tombs is by tour bus departing from Xuānwǔ Mén 7am–8pm (best to get there not long after 7am — there’s usually only one bus a day) on Sats, Suns, and public holidays mid-April to early Oct. The price of ¥170 includes a (slightly discounted) site entrance ticket. The journey is three hours each way, allowing four hours at the site.
By car or taxi take the Airport Expressway and fork right onto the Airport Nán Xiàn (机场南线), which rapidly becomes the Jīngpīng Expressway (京平高速) then the S302 Bāngxǐ Highway through Jì Xiàn (蓟县), then left on the X583 Mǎyíng Highway (马营公路) through Yúgè Zhuāng Cūn (于各庄村) and follow signs to the tombs or nearby Mǎlányù Zhèn (马兰峪针). Parking fees are typically ¥6 per stop.
The ¥122 tào piào (all-inclusive ticket) admits you to a total of nine tombs, temples, and exhibitions, not all of which are worth visiting and not all of which can easily be visited without use of a car. An assortment of adapted agricultural vehicles driven by farmers supplementing their incomes will offer their services, however, with a first asking price of ¥10 to take you round the tombs and wait at each. The level of comfort provided by these vehicles recalls early visitors’ views on springless Peking carts, but drives are short, and much time is saved at little cost. You may also be offered use of a horse, but will be led, not allowed to ride at liberty. There’s even a camel outside the Jǐng Líng, but this is for photographs only. At various points vendors will try to sell you a trilingual guide/souvenir book for ¥88, but will quickly drop to ¥50 and to as low as ¥25 further into the site, which is busiest (but still not busy) in May and October, and particularly quiet in September.
The tào piào should be valid only for the day of issue, but attendants say they’ll permit entrance on a second consecutive day, although by that time you might be exploring forlorn outlying tombs for assorted imperial children who never mounted the throne, and the Tóngzhì emperor’s Huì Líng. Most of these cannot be entered and require no ticket. The accommodation at the site is basic, as is the one three-star hotel just east of it, so drive east to the city of Zūnhuà (遵化) for a wider choice.
Next in Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond: The Legend of the Fragrant Concubine (story)
Previously: Míng Tombs
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.
For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
