Qing Chongling

Qing Chongling

Qing Chongling is a cultural tourism attraction.

Chongling is the mausoleum of Emperor Guangxu and also the last imperial tomb in China. It is located in Jinlongyu, about 4 kilometers southeast of Tai Tomb. Construction began in the first year of the Xuantong reign (1909) and was completed in the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915). The underground palace houses the joint burial of Emperor Guangxu and his Empress Longyu, Yehenara (1868–1913).

When Guangxu ascended the throne, the Qing Dynasty was facing both internal strife and external threats. By the time he passed away in 1908, his tomb had not yet been built. His coffin was temporarily placed in the Guande Hall of the Forbidden City, and construction only began in 1909 under the Xuantong Emperor’s reign. By then, the Qing Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse. The Xuantong Emperor and Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated and requested the government of the Republic of China: “The unfinished works of Emperor Dezong’s (Guangxu) Chongling Tomb shall be properly completed as per tradition, and the funeral ceremony shall follow the old customs. All expenses incurred shall be borne by the Republic of China.” At that time, the representatives of the Nanjing Provisional Government and military governors from various provinces granted lenient terms to the Qing imperial family.

In March 1909, Guangxu’s coffin was moved from the Guande Hall to the Lianggezhuang Temporary Palace in the Western Qing Tombs. Although a railway between Beijing and the Western Qing Tombs had already been established, the coffin was still carried by manpower. Guards led the procession, followed by the emperor and nobles, then Empress Longyu, Concubine Jin, and others, with over 1,400 horse-drawn carriages bringing up the rear. Just ten li from the Fucheng Gate, 1,000 jin (approximately 500 kg) of paper money were scattered, costing 260 taels of silver. The 240-li journey from Beijing to the Western Qing Tombs involved 60 shifts of 128 bearers each day, taking turns to carry the coffin through a grueling trek. Temporary sheds were set up along the way at three overnight stops, costing 29,000 taels of silver. After four days and three nights, the coffin finally arrived at the Lianggezhuang Temporary Palace and was placed in the main hall. In November 1913, at the hour of Shen (3–5 pm), Guangxu’s coffin was officially laid to rest in the underground palace of Chongling. Empress Longyu, who passed away in 1913, was also buried there.

After the completion of Chongling, no trees were planted due to financial constraints. Seeing this, Guangxu’s tutor, Liang Dingfen, felt it was neither aesthetically pleasing nor conducive to feng shui. He transported nearly 300 porcelain vases ordered from Beijing to the Western Qing Tombs. During heavy winter snowfall, he collected snow from the imperial tomb mound in these vases, affixed red paper slips labeled “Chongling Snow Water,” and brought them back to Beijing to distribute among former Qing officials. He asked them to accept the snow water and donate funds for planting trees around Chongling. With the money raised, Liang Dingfen planted many silver pines between the tomb mound and the arched wall inside the main gate of Chongling.

The number and scale of structures in Chongling strictly follow those of Emperor Tongzhi’s Huiling Tomb. Though not as grand as the mausoleums of Emperors Yongzheng and Jiaqing—which featured large stele pavilions and stone statues—it inherits the regulations of Qing imperial tomb construction, reflecting the styles of Emperor Xianfeng’s Dingling and Emperor Tongzhi’s Huiling, while also incorporating refined elements of ancient architectural techniques. The entire complex includes, based on ceremonial and security needs, a five-arch bridge, patrol rooms, a memorial archway gate, the Divine Kitchen and Storage, a three-path three-arch bridge, ceremonial halls, guard rooms, the Long’en Gate, an incense burner, side halls, the Long’en Hall, a triple gate, the Stone Five Offerings, the Square Castle, the Ming Tower, the tomb mound, and the underground palace. The wooden materials used in the Long’en Hall are extremely precious copper-coated and iron-coated nanmu, which are incredibly hard—so much so that a regular armchair made from such wood can weigh over 100 jin (about 50 kg). Hence, the Long’en Hall is praised as having “copper beams and iron pillars.” Additionally, spacers were added between beams to support the roof while also enhancing the hall’s aesthetics. The four main pillars inside the hall feature sea and mountain patterns at their bases, with golden dragons coiling upwards, more magnificent than the floral designs seen in other imperial tombs. The colorful paintings inside the hall are vibrant, and the dragon-and-phoenix stone carvings in front are exquisitely crafted with a strong sense of three-dimensionality. Since Chongling was completed relatively recently, it remains well preserved.

The underground palace of Chongling is the only imperial tomb chamber open to the public in the Western Qing Tombs. It is a vaulted stone structure consisting of one tunnel, four stone gates, nine vaults (including one tunnel vault, one flash vault, one screen door vault, one main hall vault, one corridor vault, one golden vault, and three door passage vaults), one imperial well, two dragon beard drains, and fourteen drain eyes. The total length of the tomb passage is 63.19 meters, covering an area of 349.95 square meters and a volume of 2,170.61 cubic meters. The golden vault is the largest of the nine vaults and serves as the main structure of the underground palace. It is tall, spacious, and entirely constructed from blue-white stone, including the surrounding ceiling and pavement. Each stone gate is fitted with bronze fan doors weighing over ten tons, which support the massive stones above and allow the 3.52-meter-high, heavy stone doors to open and close smoothly. Above the stone doors are lintels carved from solid blue-white stone, featuring vivid relief statues of standing bodhisattvas—one on each of the eight doors. Each statue is 1.99 meters tall, with solemn expressions and a majestic aura.

Passing through the fourth stone gate leads into the golden vault, which is tall, spacious, and the main structure of the underground palace. It measures 12 meters in length (east-west), 7.2 meters in width (north-south), and 8.95 meters in height, all constructed from blue-white jade. The imperial coffins of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Longyu are placed on the funerary bed. Guangxu lies in the center, with Longyu to his left. The coffins are flanked by sixteen dragon hill stones painted with colorful landscapes, dragons, and clouds, securing the corners of the coffins. Both coffins follow the design of inner coffin and outer sarcophagus. Emperor Guangxu’s coffin is entirely painted vermilion, adorned with gilded Tibetan and Sanskrit sutra inscriptions and a border pattern of endless swastikas. The top of Empress Longyu’s coffin features a carved golden phoenix perched on a cliff, wings spread as if ready to fly, surrounded by swirling clouds, crashing ocean waves, and blooming flowers. The phoenix’s head bears nine miniature seated bodhisattva statues. The overall composition is tightly arranged, exquisitely sculpted, with delicate lines as fine as hair, colorful gilding, and represents high-level woodcarving artistry. Inside Guangxu’s coffin are thirteen layers of decorative silk, one featuring rising dragons, colorful clouds, and motifs of longevity mountains and seas of bliss, another with yellow silk embroidered with green circular floral patterns, and the remaining eleven layers inscribed in gold powder with Sanskrit sutras. The head of the coffin features brocade with the words “Embroidered by Shu Lin, Official of Hangzhou Textile Bureau,” in blue, purple, and red. Empress Longyu’s coffin contains only three layers of purple silk inscribed with gold-powdered Sanskrit sutras. The bottom layer of both the emperor’s and empress’s coffins is padded with grayish-white soil, covered with purple fragrant powder.