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Having gotten the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties inscribed as a World Heritage Site, the Chinese Governement nominated the Imperial Tombs of the said dynasties as World Heritage Sites. The original nominated submitted for 2000 covered the Imperial Tombs of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing, China. To these were added three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning Province, including the Yongling Tomb, the Fuling Tomb and the Zhaoling Tomb, all built in the 17th century. These were the tombs built for the founding emperors of the Qing Dynasty and their ancestors.

The imperial tombs feature rich decoration of stone statues as well as carvings and tiles with dragon motifs. The tombs reflect the development of funerary architecture of the Qing Dynasty.

The Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were inscribed as World Heritage Sites during the 24th session of the World Heritage Committee in Cairns, Australia, on 27 November to 2 December, 2000. The 2000 inscription covers Xianling Tomb, Eastern Qing Tombs and Western Qing Tombs, all in Hubei Province, with a total area of 2,153.6 hectares of core zone and 12,784.4 hectares of buffer zone. Also inscribed are the Ming Tombs in Changping District, Beijing, with a 823 hectare core zone and 8100 hectare buffer zone.

The extension of the property was inscribed as World Heritage Sites in 2003 covering the Xiaoling Tomb, Tomb of Chang Yuchun, Tomb of Qiu Cheng, Tomb of Wu Liang, Tomb of Wu Zhen, Tomb of Xu Da and the Tomb of Lu Wenzhong, all in Jiangsu Province. They cover a total area of 943 hectares with a 8,280 hectare buffer zone.

Photos of Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty, Shenyang, China
Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty, Shenyang, China
Author: Cara Chow (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)

Gate to the Ming Tombs of Chang Ling, China
Gate to the Ming Tombs of Chang Ling, China
Author: Yan Li (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 41 42 26 E 124 47 38
Inscription Year: 2000; extension: 2003, 2004
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: I, II, III, IV, VI

Location Map


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Visiting Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The imperial tombs are scattered in several different cities around Beijing as well as in Nanjing. For those in Beijing, you should arrange with a tour agent for a local tour package or excursion.

Local Tour of the Ming Tombs

There is a local tour to the Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs from Beijing. The tour takes about 8 hours. Find out more .

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