Take a short hike through fields and up through pine forest for an overview of the tombs complex from the ridgeline of its shield of hills, and then take a walking tour through the tombs. Price includes expensive tickets.
The hike
We start out on the outskirts of a small village in the majority-Manchu Malanyu area.
To begin with we’re on an easy track, following the old quarry road up a flat valley.
After about 20 minutes we start the climb up into the hills, a slow ascent until we get to the firebreak that follows the ridgeline.
We then follow the firebreak all the way up to one of the lower peaks in the hills here. From the clearing on the peak we should be able to spot some of the tombs down below.
From the peak we head down to a dip in the hills, and then hike out along a long valley to reach the tombs area.
The Eastern Qing tombs
The Eastern Qing Tombs are located in Hebei Province, to the northeast of Beijing and a little way outside of the Beijing municipality. As opposed to the well known Ming Tombs in Changping, the Eastern Qing Tombs are grouped quite closely together, making it easy to see a lot at the same time. The tombs are no less interesting than the Ming Tombs, and several of the tombs have their underground areas—called Underground Palaces—open to visits. In some places, the red walls and halls look a little like parts of the Forbidden City, were it to have a more open-plan layout.
In the Eastern Qing Tombs complex we can visit the tombs of numerous famous figures of the Qing Dynasty, including Shun Zhi (first emperor of the Qing Dynasty), Empress Dowager Cixi, and Qian Long (seventh and longest-reigning emperor of the Qing Dynasty). The site was chosen for its auspicious feng shui: mountains behind, and water in front.
Cost: ¥600 / ¥540 for members
See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2075/eastern-qing-tombs-hike-and-tour/
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