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.	Tomb	Province	Location	Coordinates (dms.s)	Area (m²)	Buffer (m²)	Year inscribed
1004-001	Xianling Tomb	Hubei Province	Zhongxiang	N31 01 E112 39	876,000	2,264,000	2000
1004-002	Eastern Qing Tombs	Hebei Province	Zunhua	N41 11 E117 38	2,240,000	78,000,000	2000
1004-003	Western Qing Tombs	Hebei Province	Yixian County Baoding City	N39 20 E115 13	18,420,000	47,580,000	2000
1004-004	Ming Tombs	Beijing Municipality	Changping District	N40 16 10 E116 14 40	8,230,000	81,000,000	2003
1004-005	Xiaoling Tomb	Jiangsu Province	Nanjing City	N32 03 30 E118 51 07	1,160,000	1,800,000	2003
1004-006	Tomb of Chang Yuchun	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	Jiangsu Province	Nanjing City	N32 04 05 E118 49 57	3,500		2003
1004-010	Tomb of Xu Da	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 Province	Fushun City	41°42'36.4"N 124°48'08.8"E	2,365,900	13,439,400	2004
1004-013	Fuling Tomb of the Qing dynasty	Liaoning Province	Shenyang City	41°49'48.0"N 123°35'26.0"E	538,600	7,023,600	2004
1004-014	Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing dynasty	Liaoning Province	Shenyang City	41°51'09.1"N 123°25'39.0"E	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 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.

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)