The Qing Eastern Tombs

The Eastern Qing Tombs are the burial grounds of the emperors and empresses of the Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty. They are also the largest and most complete complex of imperial tombs still in existence in China. Construction began in 1661 and was not completed until 247 years later. The oldest structures in the Eastern Qing Tombs are nearly four hundred years old, while even the newest are almost a century old. The tombs reflect the entire evolution of imperial burial regulations from the early to the late Qing dynasty, while also recording, in one respect, the rise and fall of the Qing Empire. The Eastern Qing Tombs are a major example of the peak period of imperial tomb construction in China. Their environmental quality, landscape, tomb architecture, and the way the buildings are arranged in harmony with the surrounding terrain all achieve perfection, making them one of the most distinctive examples among China’s imperial mausoleums.