Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Encyclopedia
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (明清皇家陵寝) is the designation under which the UNESCO
has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Site
s. These tombs date from the Ming
and Qing
dynasties of China
.
Tombs were included in the list in 2000, 2003 and 2004. The property now includes the following tombs or tomb groups:
and fengshui theory. They feature rich decoration of stone statues and carvings and tiles with dragon motifs, illustrating the development of the funerary architecture of the Qing Dynasty. The three tomb complexes, and their numerous edifices, combine traditions inherited from previous dynasties and new features of Manchu
culture.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s. These tombs date from the Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
and Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
dynasties of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Tombs were included in the list in 2000, 2003 and 2004. The property now includes the following tombs or tomb groups:
| Serial ID No. | Tomb | Province | Location | Coordinates (dms.s) | Area (m²) | Buffer (m²) | Year inscribed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1004-001 | Xianling Tomb | Hubei Hubei ' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting... Province |
Zhongxiang Zhongxiang Zhongxiang is a county-level city of Jingmen, central Hubei province, Central China. Zhongxiang means "Blessed with propitious omen", which was gifted by Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty. Zhongxiang is a well-known historical and cultural city in China.... |
N31 01 E112 39 | 876,000 | 2,264,000 | 2000 |
| 1004-002 | Eastern Qing Tombs Eastern Qing Tombs The Eastern Qing Tombs are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing Dynasty located in Zunhua, 125 kilometers northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China... |
Hebei Hebei ' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei... Province |
Zunhua Zunhua Zunhua is a county-level city under the administration of Tangshan, Hebei, China. Historic sites include the Eastern Qing Tombs .-Administrative Divisions:Towns:... |
N41 11 E117 38 | 2,240,000 | 78,000,000 | 2000 |
| 1004-003 | Western Qing Tombs Western Qing Tombs The Western Qing Tombs are located some southwest of Beijing in Hebei province near the town of Yixian. The Western Qing Tombs is a necropolis that incorporate four royal mausoleums where seventy-eight royal members in all are buried... |
Hebei Province | Yixian County Yi County, Hebei Yi County is a county in Hebei province of China, administratively under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoding. It has an area of ??? km².-Administrative divisions:Towns:... Baoding Baoding -Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are... City |
N39 20 E115 13 | 18,420,000 | 47,580,000 | 2000 |
| 1004-004 | Ming Tombs | Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... Municipality |
Changping District Changping District Changping District , formerly Changping County , is situated in the suburbs of northwest Beijing.Changping District, covering an area of 1,430 square kilometers, has 2 subdistricts of the city of Changping and 15 towns with total population of 614,821... |
N40 16 10 E116 14 40 | 8,230,000 | 81,000,000 | 2003 |
| 1004-005 | Xiaoling Tomb | Jiangsu Jiangsu ' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name... Province |
Nanjing Nanjing ' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions... City |
N32 03 30 E118 51 07 | 1,160,000 | 1,800,000 | 2003 |
| 1004-006 | Tomb of Chang Yuchun Chang Yuchun Chang Yuchun , style name Boren and pseudonym Yanheng , was a Chinese Muslim military general. He was a follower of the Ming Dynasty's founder, Zhu Yuanzhang, and contributed greatly to the founding of the dynasty... |
Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 03 44 E118 49 54 | 9,800 | 2003 | |
| 1004-007 | Tomb of Qiu Cheng | Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 03 51 E118 49 59 | 5,500 | 2003 | |
| 1004-008 | Tomb of Wu Liang | Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 04 00 E118 49 51 | 4,000 | 1,800,000 | 2003 |
| 1004-009 | Tomb of Wu Zhen Wu Zhen Wu Zhen was a painter during the Yuan dynasty of China. He followed the Dong Yuan school of painting. Following along with trends of the time, Wu's works tended less toward naturalism and more toward abstraction, focusing on dynamic balance of elements, and personifying nature... |
Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 04 05 E118 49 57 | 3,500 | 2003 | |
| 1004-010 | Tomb of Xu Da Xu Da Xu Da was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Ming Dynasty and contributed to the founding of the dynasty. Apart from being a friend of the Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of the dynasty, Xu was also the father of Empress Xu, who would marry the third ruler of the Ming, the Yongle... |
Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 04 30 E118 50 06 | 8,500 | 2003 | |
| 1004-011 | Tomb of Li Wenzhong | Jiangsu Province | Nanjing City | N32 04 47 E118 50 23 | 8,700 | 2003 | |
| 1004-012 | Yongling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty | Liaoning Liaoning ' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"... Province |
Fushun Fushun Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French... City |
2,365,900 | 13,439,400 | 2004 | |
| 1004-013 | Fuling Tomb Fuling Tomb The Fuling Tomb also known as the East Tomb is the mausoleum of Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty and his wife, Empress Xiaocigao. It served as the main site for ritual ceremonies conducted by the imperial family during the entire Qing Dynasty... of the Qing Dynasty |
Liaoning Province | Shenyang Shenyang Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu... City |
538,600 | 7,023,600 | 2004 | |
| 1004-014 | Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty | Liaoning Province | Shenyang City | 478,900 | 3,187,400 | 2004 | |
| Total | 34,379,400 | 234,294,400 |
2004 additions
The three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning Province include the Yongling Tomb, the Fuling Tomb, and the Zhaoling Tomb, all built in the 17th century. Constructed for the founding emperors of the Qing Dynasty and their ancestors, the tombs follow the precepts of traditional Chinese geomancyGeomancy
Geomancy is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand...
and fengshui theory. They feature rich decoration of stone statues and carvings and tiles with dragon motifs, illustrating the development of the funerary architecture of the Qing Dynasty. The three tomb complexes, and their numerous edifices, combine traditions inherited from previous dynasties and new features of Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
culture.
External links
- Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties on the World Heritage Sites website
- Advisory Body Evaluation (for the Liaoning Tombs, January 22, 2003)
- Original Decision Document (October 29, 2004 - see p. 38, 39)
- Locational Information: Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (for the sites listed in 2000 and 2003)