The Western Qing Tombs 清西陵

Situated in Yi County (population 540,000) of Hebei Province, 120 kilometers southwest Beijing, the Western Qing Tombs are the eternal sleeping chambers for 4 emperors (Yongzheng in Tailing, Jiaqing inChangling, Daoguang in Muling , Guangxu in Chongling ) 内有帝陵四座：泰陵雍正﹑昌陵嘉庆﹑慕陵道光﹑崇陵光绪，3 queens, and 69 princes, princesses and imperial concubines of the Qing Dynasty. Walled on all sides by green hills, the tombs nestle comfortably on a large plain. The entire area of some 800 square kilometers of hilly land is covered by more than 20,000 ancient pines and cypresses, shading the winding paths between the tombs.

It was the custom in feudal China for each dynasty to have its royal burial ground where emperors, empresses, concubines, princes and princesses were buried together. Why did the Qing Dynasty have two separate tomb sites when the others had one?

When Yongzheng, the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, ascended the throne, he actually selected Jiufenchaoyang Mountain as his burial ground within the boundary of the Eastern Qing Tombs. But the minister in charge reported that the tomb site was not an ideal place, for the area was not grand and had poor soil. Folklore says that Emperor Yongzheng was an egocentric (self-centered) and maniac person. He did not want to take a less conspicuous place among the Eastern Qing Tombs after his grandfather and father had taken the best sites. Hearing this Emperor Yongzheng gave it up and ordered that another tomb site be chosen for him. Other people say that Emperor Yongzheng did not dare to be buried beside his father since he distorted the late emperor’s testament and usurped the throne. Court officials were dispatched across the country. One of them returned claiming to have discovered in Yixian County “the most blessed site under the sun.” Gratified, Yongzheng ordered his tomb built there, despite the unwritten rule forbidding separate burial plots within one imperial family.

Construction of his tomb began in 1730 and was completed in 1737, laying the foundation for what is now called the Western Qing Tombs. Flanked by other tombs, Tailing, the tomb of Emperor Yongzhen, is the biggest and earliest building.

A five-arched bridge leads to its entrance. After crossing it, the tourist will see three imposing stone archways in the south, east and west. They are exquisitely carved with mountains, rivers, flowers and animals. They form a vast square, north of which is the red gate that was the entry to the tomb complex. Once through the gate, officials dismounted and proceeded on foot. Otherwise, they would be executed.

At the end of the Sacred Way, a 2.5-kilometer road covered with brick and stone slabs and shaded by pines and cypresses, is the huge Great Stele Hall. Inside the hall there are two stone turtle-like animals supporting inscriptions in both Chinese and Manchu, praising Emperor Yongzheng’s virtue and merits.

Outside the hall stand four ornamental columns carved out of white marble. On top of them sit four wangtianhou, meaning fairy animals. They were regarded as offspring of the dragon. Two of the columns face the tomb, and other two have their backs to it. One pair is asking the emperor not to forget his ancestors and to frequent the place; the other is persuading him not to be too sorry for his ancestors and to go back home to attend to important state affairs.

Crossing a stone bridge with seven arches, a road lined with huge stone sculptures of men and animals leads to the spectacular Long’en Hall (Hall of Boundless Benevolence). It houses the spirit tablets of Emperor Yongzheng and his consort.

Sacrificial ceremonies were held here every year during the Qing Dynasty. Behind is the Soul Tower, which carries a tall stone tablet engraved in Chinese, Manchu and Mongolian. It says that the coffin of Emperor Yongzheng is in an underground palace under a tumulus behind the tower. And one of his consorts and a concubine were buried with him.

When Emperor Yongzheng died in 1735, his son and heir, Emperor Qianlong, issued an order whereby any later emperor must be buried in the Western Qing tombs if his father was buried in the Eastern Qing Tombs, or vice versa, thus maintaining a balance between the Western Qing Tombs and the Eastern Qing Tombs.

Like the Eastern Qing Tombs and the Ming Tombs, the Western Qing Tombs are the culmination of Chinese imperial tomb architecture. The local authorities used to believe that it had been broken into, but not long ago an excavation team discovered that it was actually intact, although there were traces of digging and hacking on the granite wall blocking the entrance of the underground palace. Obviously, the thieves had been stopped there.

The excavation team didn’t get through that wall either. After much consultation with the government, it was decided that for the moment the underground palace be left alone until adequate means have been found to handle the excavation and preservation.

One kilometer west of Tailing lies Changling, the tomb of Emperor Jiaqing. He reigned from 1796 to 1820. The tomb was built in 1803. On the whole, the architectural-style of Changling is very similar to that of Tailing. But the rammed earth platform atop the underground palace is larger. The floor of its main hall, Long’andian (the Hall of Boundless Benevolence), is covered with yellowish stone plated that have natural violet patterns reflecting an exquisite brilliance throughout the hall.

Of all the Western Qing tombs, perhaps Muling, the tomb of Emperor Daoguang (reigned 1821-1850) comes closest to fantasy. Emperor Daoguang should have had his tomb in the Eastern Qing Tombs under Qing emperor Qianlong’s rule. Immediately after he took the throne, he did order his tomb built in the Eastern Qing Tombs, then the family plot. After seven years’hard work, the tomb was completed. One of his queens was buried inside. One night, Emperor Daoguang had a nightmare in which he saw his late queen struggling in a stormy ocean and crying for help. After he woke up the next morning, the troubled emperor personally went to the tomb and found to his terror that its underground palace was flooded and that the coffin of the queen was half submerged in water. The emperor was very angry and ordered it be destroyed. Officials involved in the construction were either demoted or punished.

In 1832 when Emperor Daoguang went to pay respect to his ancestors buried in the Western Qing Tombs, a second family site, he was greatly impressed by the place and chose it as the site of his tomb. Legend has it that Emperor Daoguang thought that his underground palace in the Eastern Qing Tombs had been flooded because of water-spewing dragons disturbed by the construction. He fancied that if dragons were put up onto the ceiling, he could avoid another flood by burying hundreds of dragons inside his “Hall of Boundless Benevolence,” thus pleasing the God of Rain Dragon. Therefore, more than 1,000 carpenters were recruited all over the country, and carved many wooden dragons on the ceiling of the Hall of Boundless Benevolence of the tomb, making it different from other tombs.

Nowadays, the ceiling is a dragon world. There are 712 dragons carved in high relief out of a kind of fragrant wood called nanmu, a kind of cedar (this kind of nanmu can give off an unusual scent reputed to repel mosquitoes in summer), there are exuding bright clouds which are also carved out of the same kind of wood, but in low relief, in the background,. Entering the hall, you can still smell the fragrance of the wood.

Another feature of Muling is a tall three-gate archway made of glazed-tiles. Flanked by old pine trees, the archway leads to the main part of the tomb, with the dragons and phoenixes on the archway reflecting gold in the sun.

The smallest and also the most recent tomb in the Western Qing Tombs is that of Emperor Guangxu who reigned from 1875 to 1908. Unlike the tomb of his ancestors, Guangxu’s tomb was built one year after his death, thus lacking the towering pavilions and stone sculptures decorating his ancestors’ tombs. The only interesting part of this tomb, Chongling, is the underground palace. The tomb was robbed in 1938 during wartime. It now contains the coffins of Emperor Guangxu and his consort but no funeral objects. Excavated in 1980, now it is an eternal testimony to the incredible craftsmanship of the Chinese workers at the beginning of the 20th century.

The last emperor, Aisin Gioro Puyi, who reigned from 1909 to 1911, was buried in Babaoshan Cemetery of Beijing after he died of cancer in 1967.

UNESCO inscribed Qing Dynasty Eastern Tombs in Hebei Zenhua City and Qing Dynasty Western Tombs in Yi County, Hebei Province on the World Heritage List in 2000.

Strict System for Designating Graves in China’s Feudal Society 中国封建社会对坟墓的严格制度

China’s feudal society had a strict system for designating graves, stipulating that the tomb for emperors was to be called ling陵 (mausoleum); for princes and noblemen, zhong冢(tomb); for sages, li林n (forest) and for common people, fen坟(grave).

Since Confucius was respected as a scholar sage and Guan Yu known as a military sage, their tombs were respectively called Konglin (the Forest of Confucius) and Guanlin (the Forest of Guan Yu). The Forest of Confucius was also the private burial ground of Confucius and members of the emperors, the Forest of Confucius had been well preserved over time. Although the tombs of emperors were often magnificent to behold, with the ravages of time they were often neglected or forgotten by people. Many were even burned or robbed.

In contrast, Confucius’ modest tomb was enlarged to a forest area encompassing 200 hectares (494 acres). This is because unlike the emperors., Confucius has been continually revered.

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