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Eastern and Western Qing Tombs

After the Qing army entered the Shanhai Pass, to consolidate the regime, all Manchu rulers of the dynasty actively absorbed Han culture and advocated Confucian doctrines on governance like past feudal dynasties. 

Correspondingly, a complete system of strict rules on mausoleums as important carriers of the patriarchal clan system and the ethical code was established in light of that of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and two unified tomb areas were formed: the Eastern Tombs located on the Changrui Mountain in today's Malanyu, Zunhua, Hebei Province and the Western Tombs located at the Yongning Tomb west of today's Yixian county, Hebei Province. 

Qing emperors were buried in the two tomb areas alternately according to the father-son order, and the "father-son system of eastern and western tombs" was established. 

Apart from imperial tombs, there were also empress tombs built after Emperor Kangxi abolished the Ming Dynasty's outdated ban on building empress tombs and concubine tombs near imperial tombs, but the sizes are obviously smaller and there are obvious partial alterations.

The mausoleum system of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) is more complete than that of the Ming Dynasty. 

Distribution of numerous concubine cemeteries besides various imperial tombs is a prominent characteristic of Qing mausoleums. 

Among the Eastern Qing Tombs, the Xiao Tomb of Emperor Shunzhi, the first Qing emperor to enter the Shanhai Pass, was the main tomb.

About the book 
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018