Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Reference 1004
UNESCO region Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 2000 (24th Session)
Extensions 2003; 2004

Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (simplified Chinese: 明清皇家陵寝; traditional Chinese: 明清皇家陵寢; pinyin: Míng Qīng Huángjiā Língqǐn) is the designation under which the UNESCO has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Sites. 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:

Serial ID No.TombProvinceLocationCoordinates (dms.s)Area (m²)Buffer (m²) Year inscribed
1004-001Xianling TombHubei ProvinceZhongxiangN31 01 E112 39876,0002,264,0002000
1004-002Eastern Qing TombsHebei ProvinceZunhuaN41 11 E117 382,240,00078,000,0002000
1004-003Western Qing TombsHebei ProvinceYixian County Baoding CityN39 20 E115 1318,420,00047,580,0002000
1004-004Ming TombsBeijing MunicipalityChangping DistrictN40 16 10 E116 14 408,230,00081,000,0002003
1004-005Xiaoling TombJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 03 30 E118 51 071,160,0001,800,0002003
1004-006Tomb of Chang YuchunJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 03 44 E118 49 549,800 2003
1004-007Tomb of Qiu ChengJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 03 51 E118 49 595,500 2003
1004-008Tomb of Wu LiangJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 04 00 E118 49 514,0001,800,0002003
1004-009Tomb of Wu ZhenJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 04 05 E118 49 573,500 2003
1004-010Tomb of Xu DaJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 04 30 E118 50 068,500 2003
1004-011Tomb of Li WenzhongJiangsu ProvinceNanjing CityN32 04 47 E118 50 238,700 2003
1004-012Yongling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoning ProvinceFushun City 2,365,90013,439,4002004
1004-013Fuling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoning ProvinceShenyang City 538,6007,023,6002004
1004-014Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoning ProvinceShenyang City 478,9003,187,4002004
Total 34,379,400234,294,400

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 geomancy 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.

Ming imperial tombs not included in the list

Note that the UNESCO World Heritage site presently does not include the mausoleum complexes that the Hongwu Emperor had built for his ancestors, viz. the Ming Ancestors Mausoleum (Zuling) in Xuyi County, Jiangsu and the Huangling Mausoleum in Fengyang, Anhui.

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