World Cultural Heritage: Mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Emperor (7)

Western Qing Mausoleum

The Western Qing Mausoleum is located in Yi County of Baoding City, Hebei Province. Its construction started in 1730 (Yongzheng 8th Year, Qing Dynasty) and was completed in 1915. The construction took 185 years in total. The mausoleum area covers 8,300 hectares, where 14 tombs and two attached buildings (Yongfu Temple and Xinggong Palace) are scattered. The 14 tombs include four imperial tombs of the Tailing Tomb, the Changling Tomb, Muling Tomb and Chongling Tomb, three tombs of imperial concubines, three Jiyuan Tombs, and four tombs of lords, princes and princesses. The most spectacular part of the mausoleum is the forest of 15,000 vigorous ancient pines, which is the largest ancient pine forest in northern China.

The Western Qing Mausoleum is a representative work of the entire Qing Dynasty’s mausoleum architecture. The four well-preserved imperial tombs are large scale, reasonable in overall layout, various in shape and abundant in content, and has splendid palaces and delicate stone statues. The mausoleum park of queens and imperial concubines was built strictly according to the feudal hierarchy, and although it has been eroded by nature over its long history, its scale and overall appearance still remain well preserved. The main part of the mausoleum park of lords, princes and princesses is also preserved well, and so are the Xinggong Palace and Yongfu Temple, making the Western Qing Mausoleum one of the best preserved mausoleums of the Qing Dynasty in China. With its plentiful practical materials and literary and historical documents, the Western Qing Mausoleum can reflect the significant development and change of China’s mausoleum architecture and the royal family’s religious faith in different aspects. The Western Qing Mausoleum has made significant contributions for the innovation and development of China’s ancient mausoleum architecture, and has irreplaceable historic, artistic, scientific and aesthetic value that other mausoleums from previous dynasties does not have.

Both the scale and quality of the four imperial tombs and their attached tombs can reflect the Qing Dynasty’s evolvement from prosperity to decline. The large scale and majestic architecture of the Tailing Tomb and Changling Tomb built in the most prosperous period of Qing Dynasty, the shrunk architecture of the Muling Tomb (the first tomb without the Shengdeshengong Stele Pavilion, Stone Statues, Bright Tower and Bao Tower built in the Qing Dynasty) and the small scale of the Chongling Tomb can truly reflect the historical course of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline and from a feudal society to a half-feudal and half-colonial society. In terms of preservation, the Western Qing Mausoleum is one of the best preserved mausoleums in China’s mausoleum architectural complexes.

The Western Qing Mausoleum has made significant contribution in the innovation and development of China’s ancient mausoleum architecture. For example, the Tailing Tomb, as a typical Qing-style architectural complex of royal palaces, adopted the traditional Chinese Feng Shui theory for the site selection. The theory emphasizes the perfect integration of natural landscape and artificial sceneries, and the Tailing Tomb is a perfect example of that integration. In addition, it also has a complete construction and delicate overall layout which are quite practical. It’s beautiful and splendid architectural style and design has given it a quite high aesthetic value. After 1737, the Emperor Qianlong launched a system that the emperors should be buried in the Eastern Mausoleum and Western Mausoleum in a certain order, and therefore, the current pattern of Eastern Qing Mausoleum and Western Qing Mausoleum started to take shape, and has become completely different from the royal mausoleum systems of the previous dynasties.

The other 11 tombs built later in the Ming Dynasty include the Emperor Renzong’s Xianling Tomb, Emperor Xuanzong’s Jingling Tomb, Emperor Yingzong’s Yuling Tomb, Emperor Xianzong’s Maoling Tomb, Emperor Xiaozong’s Tailing Tomb, Emperor Wuzong’s Kangling Tomb, Emperor Shizong’s Yongling Tomb, Emperor Muzong’s Zhaoling Tomb, Emperor Shenzong’s Dingling Tomb, Emperor Xianzong’s Qingling Tomb, and the Emperor Muzong’s Deling Tomb. They are all located at the feet of the mountains on the two sides of the Changling Tomb.

Although these tombs have different areas and scales, they are essentially same in overall layout and design. The ichnography of the tombs is quadrate, and behind a tomb, there is usually a round (or elliptic) Bao Tower. The order of the buildings is as follow: Stone Bridge, Entrance, Stele Pavilion, Lingendian Entrance, Lingendian Palace, Bright Tower and Bao Tower.

Heritage value

The feudal dynasties in ancient China advocate “giving the dead an elaborate funeral in order to show people’s mourning,” and the tombs of the emperors in ancient China embodied the political thought, moral idea and aesthetic taste at that time, and also reflected the economy, science and technology as well as craft. The tombs are the highest form and architectural example of China’s burial art. The Mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Emperor integrated tombs, palaces and gardens, and combined Feng Shui, architecture and aesthetics. Its patterns are well-preserved and reflect the original appearance of the mausoleum. In terms of the site selection and planning, the mausoleum made full use of traditional Chinese Feng Shui theory, strived to embody the world view of “harmony between humans and nature,” melted the spirit of humanity into nature, and created a high and immortal image. In the scale and quality of construction, it tried to reflect the splendor and exquisiteness in order to show the idea that the imperial authorities are the highest class and display the manner and dignity of the emperor. The mausoleums gradually became a symbol of imperial authority.

Lao Zi, founder of Taoism once said that everything in the world comes from the combination of Yin and Yang. As time goes on, and according to the explanation of the people, Yin and Yang gradually changed into “life” and “death.” The powerful former emperors built the mausoleum according to the two concepts and the idea to “serve the dead as you would serve the living,” and they copied all their possessions so they would have everything in the afterlife. This theory of the Mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Emperor left a valuable asset for later generations. The manner and mausoleums reflect the highest burial systems, the world view, life and death view, moral view and the social customs in feudal society, and they have absorbed the excellent achievements that traditional Chinese people had made in architecture. The Mausoleum of the Ming and Qing Emperor is an immortal carrier of the traditional culture, and has an important historical, artistic and scientific value. Furthermore, it is also the precious cultural heritage of the Chinese people and the entire human race.