Prince Yi’s Tomb

Prince Yi’s Tomb

Prince Yi’s Tomb is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Prince Yi’s Tomb is located at Yunxi Shuiyu in Dongyingfang Village, Shiting Town, 12.5 kilometers north of Laishui County, Baoding City.

The tomb’s occupant was Aisin-Gioro Yinsi, the thirteenth son of Emperor Kangxi, and the mausoleum is also known as the Thirteenth Prince’s Tomb. Prince Yi, Yinsi, was known in life for his prudence, loyalty, dedication, and diligence in service. After the Yongzheng Emperor ascended the throne, he appointed Yinsi as Minister in Charge of Affairs, later elevating him to Prince Yi. He successively oversaw the Three Treasury Bureaus of the Ministry of Revenue and held other major responsibilities within the ministry. In the third year of Yongzheng’s reign, he was put in charge of water management in the capital region, achieving notable results in flood prevention and land reclamation, for which he was repeatedly rewarded. In the eighth year of Yongzheng’s reign, the emperor personally inscribed a plaque with the words “Loyal, Reverent, Sincere, Upright, Diligent, Cautious, Humble, and Enlightened” to honor him, and that same year appointed him as the first Chief Minister of the Grand Council. He enjoyed the Yongzheng Emperor’s deep trust and high regard.

The tomb complex is surrounded by hills on the south, west, and north, with plains to the east, and is traversed by the meandering Yunxi Stream, known as Yunxi Shuiyu. The tomb faces east and covers an area of about 400,000 square meters, with over 30 structures and a spirit way nearly 1.5 kilometers long. At the head of the spirit way stands a spirit way stele with a dragon head and turtle base. The front of the stele bears fifteen large characters in both Manchu and Chinese: “Spirit Way Stele of the Loyal, Reverent, Sincere, Upright, Diligent, Cautious, Humble, and Enlightened Prince Yi,” one side in Chinese and the other in Manchu. The entire complex was constructed with red bricks and green tiles, featuring a grand scale, rigorous layout, exquisite craftsmanship, and majestic presence. Towering pines and cypresses surround the site, their rustling adding to the solemn and noble atmosphere, making it stand out uniquely among Qing imperial tombs. The overall layout from east to west includes: a three-li-long spirit way, along which are arranged the stele pavilion, the Flame Gateway, the five-arch stone bridge, the four-pillar three-gate stone memorial archway, a flat bridge, stone pillars, Yuanbao Mountain, the Crooked Bridge, the three-arch bridge, another stele pavilion, the Divine Kitchen and Storage, the Well Pavilion, the Duty Room, the Moon Terrace, the Sacrificial Slaughter Pavilion, the Waiting Hall, the Platform, the Incense Burners to the north and south, the Hall of Long’en, and the burial mound. The spirit way is lined with lush pines and cypresses, and the entire tomb complex is enclosed by green-tiled red walls.

West of the spirit way lies the Flame Gateway, a three-door, four-pillar stone structure, with a flaming pearl at the center of the upper crossbeam of each door. Behind the Flame Gateway is a five-arch stone bridge. Beyond the bridge stands a stone memorial archway, with three doors, four pillars, and seven stories. This archway is exquisitely crafted and can be compared to those at the Eastern and Western Qing Tombs. It is rare among Qing princes’ tombs to have two such archways.

Further west stand a pair of towering stone columns (Huabiao), one on each side. These are not the same as those found at the imperial mausoleums’ grand stele pavilions. The imperial Huabiao are wrapped with cloud-dragons and surrounded by stone railings. In contrast, the Huabiao at Prince Yi’s Tomb, though also octagonal, feature two dragons on each of their eight sides—heads pointing upward at the top and tails upward at the bottom, with the dragons’ heads raised. There are 16 dragons in total across the eight sides. The stone bases are also not enclosed by railings. Originally behind the Huabiao was a stele pavilion engraved with an imperial inscription by Yongzheng—the only known case where a prince’s tomb features two dragon-bearing stelae. Behind the pavilion were the Divine Kitchen and Storage, the Well Pavilion, the Duty Room, the Moon Terrace, the Waiting Hall, the Palace Gate, the Incense Burners to the north and south, the main Hall, a pair of stone qilin sculptures in front of the hall, and a circular burial mound behind the hall. The surrounding area was guarded by Qing bannermen.

After the tomb’s completion in the eighth year of Yongzheng’s reign, the Qing government stationed a garrison here to protect it, including one camp commandant, two battalion commanders, and two company commanders, along with tomb guards and two barracks to the east and west. The eastern barracks housed cavalry and infantry, while the western housed banner guards. During the height of the Qing dynasty, the tomb area was strictly off-limits, heavily guarded, and held significant authority. However, in 1935, under Song Zheyuan’s orders, Wang Zuozhou, the county magistrate sent to Laishui, along with a battalion of troops, supervised over 80 tomb robbers in an open excavation that looted all precious burial artifacts. Later, during the Japanese occupation, the site suffered further destruction, with all above-ground structures razed. Today, only the earthen mound, ruins, and a few surviving structures such as steles, bridges, gateways, and Huabiao remain.

The following relics survive today: Two stone memorial archways—one a seven-story, four-pillar structure 10 meters high and 25 meters long, with carved patterns on the column bases and crossbeams, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship; the other a Flame Gateway, also 10 meters high and 25 meters long, with a majestic presence. One spirit way stele, 5 meters high and 1.4 meters wide, inscribed in both Manchu and Chinese: “Spirit Way Stele of the Loyal, Reverent, Sincere, Upright, Diligent, Cautious, Humble, and Enlightened Prince Yi.” A pair of Huabiao, 13 meters high, with octagonal bases and shafts, featuring 48 intricately carved dragons—rare and impressive. One five-arch bridge, 38 meters long and 7 meters wide.

All the above structures are made of white marble and are relatively well-preserved. The stolen “Heavenward Monkey” was actually a two-ton white marble round sculpture of a mythical beast, commonly referred to by locals as the “Heavenward Monkey.”

In 2006, Prince Yi’s Tomb was designated as part of the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council as a Qing-era ancient tomb.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units