The remoteness of the Eastern Qing Tombs east of Beijing and over the border in Hebei province makes them far less popular than the Ming Tombs, despite the fact that the setting is even more splendid. In fact, the Eastern Qing tombs make up the largest and most complete imperial cemetery in China, built on as grand a scale as the Forbidden City itself. Of the many tombs scattered throughout the area, only five are the burial places of Qing emperors: the tombs of the Shunzhi emperor, Kangxi, Qianlong, and Xianfeng are open, while that of the Tongzhi emperor (1862 - 1874), at a distance from the main tomb grouping, is not. A 3-mile Spirit Way, an approach lined with guardian figures, leads to Shunzhi’s tomb, Xiao Ling, at the heart of the main tomb cluster, while several of the other tombs have their own smaller Spirit Ways. Southwest of here lies Yuling, Qianlong’s tomb, with its incredible chamber adorned with Buddhist carvings and Tibetan and Sanskrit scriptures (rare features at imperial and principally Confucian tombs).

The devious Empress Cixi is buried at Ding Dong Ling to the west, in the right-hand tomb of a complex of twin tombs, the other being the resting place of Ci’an, eldest wife of the Xianfeng emperor. Although both tombs were built in 1879, Cixi had her magnificent tomb lavishly restored in 1895. The marble carriageway up to the Hall of Eminent Favor notably locates the carving of the phoenix (Feng Huang), symbol of the empress, above the carving of the Loong, symbol of the emperor. West of Ding Dong Ling, Ding Ling is partially open and approached via a set of stone animal statues. Look for the smaller tombs of imperial concubines, their roofs tiled in green (not the yellow of emperors and empresses).

Eastern Qing Tombs Map

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Tips: 77 miles (125 km) east of Beijing, Zuahua County, Hebei Province. May-Oct: 8am-5:30pm daily; Nov-Apr: 9am-4:30pm daily.