Some people might try to convince you that a visit to ancient imperial tombs is a ticket to boredom, compared to the pleasure of immersing oneself in the sea or the fragrant air of a pristine forest.

But a one-day trip to the Eastern Qing (1644-1911) Tombs should easily convince you otherwise.

Rural version of the Forbidden City: The eastern tombs of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), located in Zunhua County of Hebei Province, are arguably China's largest dynastic cemetery, entombing five emperors, 15 empresses, and more than 100 concubines, princes, and princesses. A total of 161 members of the royal family and court are buried here. [newsphoto.com.cn]

The tombs by far surpass their more famous predecessors, the Ming Tombs, but they are seldom visited owing to their relative remoteness from Beijing.

Located in Zunhua County of Hebei Province, the tombs are about 120 kilometres from Beijing - about a three-hour drive.

Listed as a world historical heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Eastern Qing Tombs are arguably China's largest dynastic mausoleum, entombing five emperors, 15 empresses, and more than 100 concubines, princes, and princesses - including Emperor Kangxi's teacher. A total of 161 members of the royal family and court are buried there.

An embossment of buddha in the Eastern Qing Tombs. [newsphoto.com.cn]

Tomb construction began in 1661 and stopped only in 1908.

They are like a rural version of the Forbidden City and are nearly as elaborate. Tastefully restored for the most part, this imperial city is vast, grand and uncrowded.

The long Sacred Way that leads to the tombs is lined with 18 sets of stone sculptures, splendid renderings of lions, elephants, horses, camels, and unicorns, as well as army generals and court advisers.

Even though so many years have passed since the sculptures were completed, their aura of vividness is as arresting today as when they first emerged from unshaped stone.

Local people

When this resting place for the Qing emperors was completed, the imperial court sent an army of royal guards and maintenance workers to keep the cemetery clean and keep out the common people.

The descendants of royal guards and maintenance workers still live in villages surrounding the tomb area.

People who tour the Eastern Qing Tombs may take little note of the local villagers, who provide all kinds of services.

But they are the actual descendants of the Manchu keepers and guards whose families can be trailed back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, during the slack farming seasons, they make money by providing services for the tourists.

They sell ice-cream or shuttle tourists from one mausoleum to another on their motorbikes, and offer a variety of other handy services.

An elderly villager, who was selling popsicles on the Sacred Way, claimed that he was a descendent of the Jin clan, the surname of the royal Qing family descendants adopted after the downfall of the Qing Dynasty.

Proud of his own ancestry, he was eager to give every visitor his own "royal" blessing while chatting with them.

Hopes of high achievement are what old Jin tries to bestow on the tourists he talks to. He sees this as a responsibility handed down to him by his forefathers.

The Eastern Qing Tombs are the final resting place of the three rulers who did the most to enrich China's multi-ethnic history and culture that people can see today in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722), his grandson Emperor Qianlong (1711-99), and Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), whose lives spanned the breadth of China's last dynasty, are all buried in splendid underground palaces at this site.

Yu Ling is the tomb of Emperor Qianlong, the longest ruling monarch in Chinese history. It's elaborate Underground Palace is open to visitors.

Consisting of nine elaborately decorated vaults 53 metres underground, this palace is divided by a series of marble doors 3 metres thick.

The burial chamber contains the sarcophagi of the emperor and five of his consorts. Qianlong also built round earthen mounds at the rear of this complex to entomb his imperial concubines.

The most intricate part of Qianlong's tomb is the granite walls of the burial chamber on which Buddhist scriptures are inscribed in handsome calligraphic style in the Han, Tibetan, Manchu and Mongol languages - another testament to the multi-ethnic culture and history that the emperor was part of.

That's why Old Jin and many of his neighbours in the village have remain so proud of their ancestry.

Travel tips:

80 yuan (US$9.67) for an entrance ticket.

The tombs are scattered over a wide 30-square-kilometre area. You can drive around the site or rent a minibus for around 60 yuan (US$7.26) for half a day.

Suggested length of stay: half a day.

More detailed information can be found at
http://www.qingdongling.com

To get there:

By car: Take the Jingtong Expressway passing through Yanjiao, Shanhe, Jixian and Shimen.

By Bus: Special buses leave from Xuanwumen church at 7:00-8:00 am daily. Tickets: 70-80 yuan (US$8.46-US$9.67).

Telephone: 0315-6945471

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