Qing Dynasty's Yuling Mausoleum

Qing Dynasty's Yuling Mausoleum

Yuling Mausoleum is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yuling is the mausoleum of the Qianlong Emperor (Aisin Gioro Hongli), the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty after their entry into the Great Wall, located in Shengshuiyu to the west of Xiaoling. Construction began in the eighth year of Qianlong’s reign (1743) and was completed in the seventeenth year, costing over 1.7 million taels of silver.

Yuling features a spacious sacrificial hall area, grand architecture, exquisite craftsmanship, and premium materials, presenting an extraordinary aura. From south to north, it includes the Stele Pavilion of Divine Merits and Virtues, the Five-Arch Bridge, stone statues, the Memorial Archway Gate, the One-Arch Bridge, the Dismounting Stele, the Well Pavilion, the Divine Kitchen and Storeroom, the East and West Waiting Halls, the Three-Path Three-Arch Bridges and the East and West Flat Bridges, the East and West Guard Rooms, the Long’en Hall, the Three-Path One-Arch Bridge, the Glazed Flower Gate, the Two-Pillar Gate, the Five Offerings Altar, the Square Castle, the Ming Tower, the Treasure City, the Treasure Mound, and the underground Palace. Its design not only inherits traditions from previous dynasties but also introduces expansions and innovations.

First, there are eight pairs of stone statues, including one additional pair each of qilin (Chinese unicorn), camel, and suanni (mythical lion-like creature) compared to the Jingling Mausoleum of Qianlong’s grandfather, Emperor Kangxi. Though fewer in number than Xiaoling, the variety matches that of Xiaoling.

Second, the Eastern Warm Room of the main hall of Yuling was converted into a Buddhist shrine, enshrining various Buddha statues and a large number of treasures. Subsequent imperial mausoleums followed this practice, making it a fixed tradition.

Third, three one-arch bridges of identical design were built over the Jade Belt River in front of the mausoleum gate. They feature dragon and phoenix column capitals and railings, with mountain-dragon-shaped struts supporting the pillars at both ends. These three bridges are exquisitely shaped and finely carved, a unique feature among Qing imperial mausoleums.

Fourth, the underground palace is covered with exquisite Buddhist-themed carvings: the Buddhas of the Three Ages, the Five Directional Buddhas, the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Four Buddhas, the Five Desires Offerings, lions, the Eight Treasures, ritual instruments, Buddhist flowers, as well as over 30,000 words of Tibetan and Sanskrit sutras and mantras. The carvings are masterfully executed, with smooth and delicate lines, vivid and expressive forms, and a rigorously orderly layout, making it worthy of being called a “solemn underground Buddhist hall” and a “treasury of stone carving art.”

These features of Yuling not only reflect the Qianlong Emperor’s personal desire for grandeur and his deep faith in Buddhism but also demonstrate the comprehensive national strength of the Qing Dynasty at its peak.

The underground palace of Yuling houses the remains of the Qianlong Emperor, Empresses Xiaoxian and Xiaoyi, and three Imperial Noble Consorts: Huixian, Zhemin, and Shujia—six people in total.

Address: Located in Shengshuiyu to the west of Xiaoling