Qingmu Mausoleum

Qingmu Mausoleum

Qingmu Mausoleum is a cultural tourism attraction.

The mausoleum of Emperor Daoguang, Aisin-Gioro Yizhu, is located in Longquan Valley, 15 kilometers southwest of Changling. It houses the remains of Emperor Xuanzong (Daoguang), Empress Xiaomu Cheng Niohuru, Empress Xiaoshen Cheng Tongjia, and Empress Xiaquan Cheng Niohuru (the birth mother of Emperor Xianfeng).

Mu Mausoleum has a rather unique layout among the Eastern and Western Qing imperial tomb complexes, largely not adhering to ancestral tomb systems. It simplified some of the original regulations of Qing imperial mausoleums and is the smallest in scale among all Qing imperial tombs, lacking a square city and a Ming Tower. The Hall of Eminent Favor was reduced from five bays to three, with undecorated paintings inside and a simpler terrace design compared to previous ones. Above the underground palace, there is only a stone enclosure. This may be related to Emperor Daoguang’s advocacy for frugality. During his 30-year reign (1820–1850), he was an emperor who promoted thriftiness. It is said that he once attended court wearing trousers with patches and would not change his clothes until they had been washed three times. Mu Mausoleum was built in a very distinctive way, unlike any other imperial tomb, representing the unique vision of Emperor Daoguang. With its delicate and compact architectural style, elegant and understated design, and exquisitely crafted nanmu wood dragons, it stands out as the most distinctive among Qing imperial mausoleums. The brownish hue of the nanmu wood after waxing, the gray-yellow blending walls, set against blue skies, white clouds, green trees, and golden rooftops, create an atmosphere that is refined, solemn, pristine, and otherworldly—imbued with a sense of ancient simplicity and transcendent mystery.

Initially, Daoguang’s mausoleum was planned for the Eastern Qing Tombs. In line with the emperor’s pursuit of frugality, certain elements were omitted, such as the two-pillar gate, the tiled roof of the underground palace, and inner carvings of Buddhist statues. The main hall, stele pavilion, and stone statues were also made smaller. The construction was completed in the seventh year of Daoguang’s reign, and Empress Xiaomu was buried there. However, a year later, it was discovered that the underground palace had flooded to a depth of one chi and seven cun (approximately 56 cm). Enraged, the emperor ordered the entire mausoleum to be razed to the ground. Disregarding the ancestral alternating burial system established by Emperor Qianlong, Daoguang chose a new site in the Western Qing Tombs to rebuild his tomb. The new design was even more deliberately simplistic, consisting of only 27 structures and covering an area of 45.6 mu—nearly 80 mu smaller than the Tai Tomb. But in reality, it was "frugal on the outside, extravagant on the inside," using exceptionally fine materials. The walls were constructed using precision-mortared brickwork and dry-laid grouting techniques up to the top, without red coating or lime plaster, changing the traditional method of rough gray brick construction with red plaster on upper sections and dry-laid lower sections. Coupled with the experience of building and then demolishing the original tomb, the cost of constructing Daoguang’s mausoleum exceeded that of any other tomb in the Western Qing Tombs.

The Sacred Way of Mu Mausoleum does not connect with that of the Tai Tomb. At its southernmost end is a five-arch bridge. Due to the defeat in the Opium War, Emperor Daoguang, feeling “ashamed before his ancestors” and “ashamed before the people of the realm,” ordered the removal of the Sacred Virtue and Meritorious Deeds Stele and the stone statues. Just north of the five-arch bridge lies the Dragon and Phoenix Gate, similar but slightly smaller than those at the Xiaoling, Tai Tomb, and Chang Tomb. The Spirit Way Stele Pavilion is also smaller, with the front of the stele inscribed with Emperor Xuanzong’s posthumous title and the back, following Daoguang’s will, engraved with an inscription personally written by Emperor Xianfeng recounting the life and deeds of Emperor Xuanzong—an unprecedented feature among Qing imperial tombs that essentially serves the role of a Sacred Virtue and Meritorious Deeds Stele. North of the Spirit Way Stele Pavilion is a three-arch Sacred Way Bridge, along with east and west ceremonial halls. The Hall of Eminent Favor is built atop a stone Sumeru pedestal and features three grand gates.

The Hall of Eminent Favor and the three side halls are all constructed with precious golden-thread nanmu wood. Neither the interior nor exterior is painted; instead, the natural color of the nanmu wood is used as the base tone. The ceilings, paneling, decorative bands, and brackets are adorned with high-relief and openwork carvings of thousands of cloud dragons, swimming dragons, and coiled dragons (including 714 wooden carved dragons alone in the Hall of Eminent Favor), totaling 1,318 carved dragons across the three halls—making it a uniquely artistic and treasured feature among Qing imperial mausoleums. The Hall of Eminent Favor has a nearly square floor plan, with partitioned doors between the central bay and the side bays, surrounded by corridors—an arrangement unique among the nine Qing imperial mausoleums. The roof is a single-eave hip-and-gable style with high ridges, differing from the double-eave hips of other imperial tombs.

1. No Sacred Virtue and Meritorious Deeds Stele Pavilion (Emperor Daoguang issued an edict to remove the Sacred Virtue and Meritorious Deeds Stele Pavilion, and subsequent emperors did not build one either).

2. The Sacred Way has no stone statues or ornamental pillars (the only Qing imperial tomb without ornamental pillars).

3. The Hall of Eminent Favor, side halls, and the treasure city are all smaller than those of other mausoleums.

4. No two-pillar gate or square city Ming Tower.

5. While the curved walls in other Qing tombs are generally semicircular, this tomb uses arc-shaped designs.