Western Qing Tombs

It was Qing Emperor Jongzheng who first chose this site as the imperial tomb for him. There are two legends about the reason why he made the change. One legend mentioned that Jongzheng was not satisfied with the eastern site when he visited it to order the construction of his tomb. So he found another site in today's Yixian County, southwest of Beijing, which was of more natural scenic beauty. While another story said that Yongzheng distorted his father's, Emperor Kuangxi, will and gained the throne, which should have been transferred to his brother. Afraid of being buried together with his father, he decided to look for another place far away from the tomb of Emperor Kuangxi. Whatever the facts were, it brought us another great imperial tomb groups to admire.

Located in Yixian County, Hebei Province, the site covers an area of 50,000 square meters. The construction began in 1730, the eighth year of the reign of Yongzheng, the third Qing emperor and has seventy-seven imperial tombs scattered around, including tombs of four emperors, three empresses, seven princesses and several imperial concubines. The layout and style of the tombs here were almost the same as those in the Eastern Qing Tombs. But each has its own distinctive successes. It's worth a visit to each and every tomb for they are dazzling illustrations of great architectures, carving arts, beliefs, and geometrical designs of ancient China.