Qing East Tombs in Malanyu Town, Zunhua City, Hebei Province - (Qianlong) Yuling

Located in Zunhua, Hebei Province, the Qing East Tombs are the largest, most complete, and most appropriately laid out imperial tomb complex in China. Among the 15 tombs covering an area of 78 square kilometers, 161 emperors, empresses, concubines, and princes and princesses are buried. The Qing East Tombs are a rare "feng shui" treasure. To the north, Changrui Mountain serves as a backdrop like a brocade screen, to the south, Jin Xing Mountain faces like a holding fan, in the middle, Yingbi Mountain acts as a desk for support, to the east, Yingfei Daoyang Mountain lies like a coiled dragon, and to the west, Huanghua Mountain stands like a majestic white tiger. Two large rivers encircle the area like two jade belts. The vast and open layout surrounded by mountains is serene and unhurried, truly a place of perfect beauty and natural scenery. When Emperor Shunzhi came to this area for hunting, he was so impressed by the spiritual mountains and clear waters that he immediately decreed, "This mountain's royal aura is lush and can be my longevity palace." Since then, Changrui Mountain has become the site of the grand and magnificent Qing East Tombs. The architecture of the Qing East Tombs is grand, spectacular, and exquisite. Among the large ancient architectural complex consisting of more than 580 individual buildings, there is the widest stone archway in China, a five-bay, six-pillar, eleven-story wooden structure of unparalleled craftsmanship, the most well-preserved 6,000-meter-long main spirit road of Xiaoling, which undulates with the terrain and is extremely artistically appealing. The exquisite Buddhist stone carvings in the underground palace of Qianlong's Yuling are breathtaking, praised by the Panchen Lama as an "invaluable treasure trove of stone carving art." The three gilded halls of Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb are luxuriously decorated, rare in the world, with the "phoenix above and dragon below" stone carvings showing extraordinary craftsmanship... With its undeniable charm and significant historical, artistic, and scientific value, the Qing East Tombs were officially listed as a World Cultural Heritage site on November 30, 2000. In January 2001, it was rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration.