Mausoleums of Qing Dynasty Emperors
There are three tombs of the Qing emperors: Beiling, Dongling and Xiling.
1. Beiling
In addition to the burials of emperors and empresses, Shenyang Beiling (Zhaoling) also contains concubines related to Concubine Chen (Hai Lanzhu) of Sui Palace, Concubine Linzhi Palace, A group of concubines and beauties, including Concubine Shu from the Laoqing Palace, is the most representative imperial mausoleum among the mausoleums outside the Pass in the early Qing Dynasty. It is one of the most complete ancient imperial mausoleum buildings in my country.
Zhaoling was built in the eighth year of Chongde (1643) in the Qing Dynasty and was basically completed in the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651). After that, it has undergone many reconstructions and additions to reach its current scale. The plan layout of the mausoleum building follows the mausoleum principle of "facing the front and sleeping in the back" and consists of three parts: front, middle and back from south to north. The main buildings are built on the central axis and arranged symmetrically on both sides, imitating the imperial mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty. The mausoleum also has the characteristics of Manchu mausoleums.
2. Dongling
The 15 mausoleums in the Dongling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty started from the Xiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Shunzhi in 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi) to 1908 (the 30th year of Guangxu). Four years), the construction activities lasted for 247 years until the Putuoyu Dingdong Tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi was finally built.
In 1661 (the 18th year of Shunzhi), the construction of the Xiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Shunzhi, the first emperor to enter the customs, began, and in 1664 (the 11th year of the third year of Kangxi) the main project was completed. In 1668 (the seventh year of Kangxi), the Shengde Shengong Stele Pavilion was built.
In 1674 (the 13th year of Kangxi), Emperor Kangxi's direct empress Xiaochengren passed away, and preparations for the construction of Jingling Mausoleum began. In 1676 (the fifteenth year of Kangxi), ground was broken and construction started. When the two empresses Xiaocheng and Xiaozhao were buried in 1681 (the 20th year of Kangxi), Longen Hall in Jingling was still under construction. At the same time, the Jingling Concubine's Garden where the Kangxi Emperor's concubines were buried was also completed, becoming the first concubine's garden built by the Qing Dynasty in the pass.
In 1688 (the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi), Emperor Kangxi built a temporary enshrinement hall outside the Feng Shui Wall on the east side of Dahongmen in accordance with his grandmother's orders. Thirty-seven years later, in 1725 (the third year of Yongzheng's reign), Emperor Yongzheng decided to transform the Temporary Anfeng Hall into Zhaoxi Mausoleum. Construction started on the third day of the second lunar month of that year and was completed by the end of the year. After the temporary enshrinement hall of Empress Xiaozhuangwen was completed, Emperor Kangxi built a mausoleum for Empress Xiaohuizhang on the east side of Xiaoling Mausoleum. It was completed in about 1693 (the 32nd year of Kangxi) (the exact date is yet to be determined). This is the first queen's mausoleum built in the Qing Dynasty, setting a precedent for the Qing Dynasty to build a separate mausoleum for the queen. Because it is located on the east side of Xiaoling Tomb and is in the same system as Xiaoling Tomb, it is named "Xiaodong Tomb".
In the early years of Yongzheng, Emperor Yongzheng determined his auspicious place for ten thousand years to be Jiufeng Chaoyang Mountain in Zunhua, and transported a large amount of building materials. In 1729 (the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign), Emperor Yongzheng abandoned it on the pretext that "although the scale was large, the shape was not complete, and the soil in the caves contained sand and gravel", he established another Zhaoyu at the foot of Taining Mountain in Yi County, Hebei Province. , build Tailing. Since then, there have been distinctions between "Donngling" and "Xiling".
Shortly after Emperor Qianlong came to the throne, he built a separate garden bedchamber to the east of Jingling for the two imperial concubines of Emperor Kangxi, Chou Hui and Dunyi, who were their grandmothers. It was called the Jingling Imperial Concubine Garden Bedroom, commonly known as The mausoleum of the two concubines.
In 1742 (the seventh year of Qianlong's reign), Emperor Qianlong designated Shengshui Valley in Dongling as his auspicious place for ten thousand years. In February of the following year, construction was started and it was completed in 1752 (the seventeenth year of Qianlong's reign). In 1799 (the fourth year of Jiaqing), it was named "Yuling".
The construction of Yulingfei Garden was started in 1747 (the 12th year of Qianlong) and completed in 1752 (the 17th year of Qianlong). From 1755 to 1762 (from the 20th to the 27th year of Qianlong), expansion was carried out, and the square city, Minglou, Baocheng and east and west side halls were built.
In order to balance the relationship between the East Tomb and the West Tomb, in 1796 (the first year of Jiaqing), the Supreme Emperor Hongli ordered that future emperors' tombs be built separately in the East and West Tombs in the order of Zhao and Mu.
Emperor Daoguang built a mausoleum in Baohuayu within the Dongling Tomb in 1821 (the first year of Daoguang), and it was completed in 1827 (the seventh year of Daoguang). The concubine's garden bedroom and the princess' garden bedroom were also completed. In the second year after the completion of the Baohuayu Mausoleum, water seepage was discovered in the underground palace. Emperor Daoguang visited the mausoleum site in the Xiling Tomb. Then the completed Baohuayu Mausoleum and Concubine Garden Mausoleum in the Dongling Mausoleum were abandoned and transported to the Xiling Mausoleum for reconstruction. A ruin was left within the Tanglin boundary.
After Emperor Xianfeng came to the throne, he selected the site of the mausoleum in Ping'an Valley within the boundary of Dongling. In 1859 (the ninth year of Xianfeng), ground was broken and construction started. Due to the outbreak of the Second Opium War, the mausoleum construction was hampered. In 1861 (the eleventh year of Xianfeng), after Emperor Xianfeng collapsed and passed away at the Chengde Summer Resort, the mausoleum construction was forced to step up. It was completed in 1866 (the fifth year of Tongzhi) and named "Dingling". Subsequently, the concubine's garden bedrooms were completed one after another. When building Dingling Tomb, due to the indemnity due to the defeat and the empty treasury, a large number of old materials from the abandoned mausoleum of Emperor Daoguang in Baohuayu were used, and the quality of the building was not as good as before.
In 1873 (the twelfth year of Tongzhi), Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi broke ground for the Dingdong Tomb at Puxiang Valley and Putuo Valley, two miles east of the Dingling Tomb. In 1879 ( It was completed in the fifth year of Guangxu) at the same time. Sixteen years later, Cixi ordered her tomb to be renovated. Construction started in 1895 (the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu) and was completed in 1908 (the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), which lasted 13 years. Because these two mausoleums are located on the east side of Dingling and are subordinate to Dingling, they are collectively called "Ding Dong Tombs". The tomb of the Empress Dowager Ci'an is called the Puxiangyu Ding Dong Tomb; the tomb of the Empress Dowager Cixi is called the Putuo Valley Ding Dong Tomb.
Emperor Tongzhi did not choose the site of his mausoleum during his lifetime. After his death, he hurriedly visited the site. The site of the mausoleum was determined to be Shuangshan Valley within the boundaries of Dongling. The Dingling mausoleum was named "Huiling". Construction started in 1875 (the first year of Guangxu) and completed in 1878 (the fourth year of Guangxu). The Concubine Garden Bedroom located on the west side of Huiling was also built between 1876 and 1878 (the second to fourth years of Guangxu). Due to the difficult situation of the country, only 21 years later, in 1899 (the 25th year of Guangxu), it was discovered that many of the large wooden components of Long'en Hall were damaged and decayed, so they had to be demolished and rebuilt. The reconstruction project started that year (1899). The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded and occupied Beijing, and the project was suspended. It was not completed until 1906 (the 32nd year of Guangxu), which lasted for 8 years.
In July 1928, Sun Dianying, commander of the Twelfth Army of the Kuomintang, planned a Tangling robbery in the name of "suppressing bandits" and robbed Emperor Qianlong's Yuling Tomb and Empress Dowager Cixi's Dingtung Tomb. .
In September 1945, Zhang Jinzhong, captain of the intelligence team of the 15th Military Division of the Jidong Military Region under the jurisdiction of the puppet Jidong Anti-Japanese Autonomous Government in Dongling, together with Wang Shaoyi, Mu Shuxuan, Jia Zhengguo, Zhao Guozheng, Li Shuqing, Liu En, Liu Jixin and others brazenly began to steal the tomb. There are 14 mausoleums in the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty, and almost none of the 157 people's tombs have been spared.
In 1952, the Qing Dong Tomb Cultural Relics Protection Institute was established to manage the mausoleum.
In 1961, the Qing Tombs were listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.
In 1978, it was officially opened to Chinese and foreign tourists.
On November 30, 2000, at the 24th World Heritage Committee meeting held in Cairns, Australia, the Qing Tombs were unanimously approved and included in the World Heritage List.
3. Xiling
The Xiling of the Qing Dynasty is one of the two major mausoleums of the Qing emperors. It was first built in 1730 (the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign) and lasted from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century. It was extended to the Republic of China. In the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign (AD 1730), this site was chosen as the mausoleum site. The site of Yongzheng's mausoleum was originally chosen at Chaoyang Mountain in Jiufeng, the Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty. However, he believed that "although the scale was large, the shape was incomplete, and the soil in the cave was filled with sand and gravel, making it unusable." Therefore, the original site was abandoned and ordered to be renovated. Alternatively, choose "Auspicious Land for Ten Thousand Years". The person who selected the mausoleum site said in a memorial that the foot of Yongning Mountain in Yixian County is "the area where the heaven and earth gather together, where yin and yang meet, and where the dragon's cave, sand and water are all beautiful. The situation is in order and everything is well prepared." Emperor Yongzheng was very happy after reading the memorial. It is also believed that "the mountains and rivers here are well-structured and are considered to be auspicious soil". Since then, emperors of various dynasties of the Qing Dynasty have been buried in two major mausoleums in the east and west of Zunhua and Yi County. From the first Tailing Mausoleum built in the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730 AD) to the completion of Guangxu's Chongling Tomb in 1915 AD, Xiling took 186 years to build 4 imperial mausoleums, 3 empress mausoleums, and gardens for princes, princesses, and concubines. There are 7 bedrooms, and 4 emperors Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Guangxu, 9 queens, 56 concubines, princes, princesses and other 80 people are buried. Xuantong Emperor Puyi died in 1967 and was initially buried in Babaoshan. In 1995, he was moved to the Hualong Royal Cemetery in the Qingxi Mausoleum.
With a construction area of more than 50,000 square meters, there are more than 1,000 palaces and more than 100 stone carvings and stone buildings, forming a large-scale and magnificent ancient building complex. The Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty are a key cultural relics protection unit in the country. In November 2000, the Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty and the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty were listed as world cultural heritage by the 24th World Heritage Committee.