Princess Tomb

Princess Tomb

The Princess Tomb is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Princess Tomb is the burial site of Heshuo Duanjing, the fifth daughter of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It is located within the territory of Shijia Manchu Township. Shijia Township lies...

35 kilometers

east, and it earned its name because, after the princess’s death, the ten accompanying households (Manchu people) who came with her as part of her dowry also stayed behind to guard the tomb.

The Qing Dynasty consistently used marriage alliances to consolidate its frontiers. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, in order to stabilize the northern ethnic minority regions, he married his fifth daughter to Galdan, the second son of Prince Kashin Zasak, in the 31st year of Kangxi’s reign, thereby bringing peace to the borderlands.

The day of the princess’s marriage was extraordinarily lively. From the mouth of the Great Wall all the way to Gongye Fu in the Xibe River Valley, across nearly a thousand li of road, the path was watered with clean water, paved with yellow earth, adorned with fluttering banners, and thundered with drums and music. A grand procession composed of several thousand wedding attendants wound its way through the desolate lands of southern Mongolia in the golden October. At the center, an eye-catching colorful palanquin carried a beautiful woman in phoenix coronet and robes of rank, adorned with gold and silver jewelry. Holding a golden imperial edict, her expression remained impassive. Ahead of the palanquin was a ceremonial guard made up of court ladies holding red lanterns and incense burners, as well as warriors wielding golden melons and upright halberds. Behind were the supply carts, transporting the princess’s dowry — clothing, jewelry, gold, silver, camels, horses, and tents. Bringing up the rear were the walking entourage: stewards, estate managers, nannies, and ten Manchu families serving the princess’s daily needs. The procession stretched for dozens of li, demonstrating the supreme power and sacred dignity of the imperial family that inspired awe in all who saw it.

While the wedding procession was making its long journey, Emperor Kangxi had already arrived at the Rehe Hot Springs for a bath. Prince Kashin Zhasak and nobles from various regions of southern Mongolia came to pay their respects. After quelling the “Rebellion of the Three Feudatories” in the south, the Qing court shifted its military focus northward. The rebellion of Galdan of the Dzungar Khanate had not yet been suppressed, and Russia was also watching intently. Emperor Kangxi had no choice but to proceed ahead under the pretext of sending off the bride, summoning Mongolian leaders to discuss national defense strategies.

The wedding procession returned. In the square in front of the prince’s residence, lanterns and decorations were hung everywhere, drums and music thundered, and 72 yurts were arranged in a crescent shape. The nobles of the Kashin clan and the princes and lords of various Mongolian tribes who had come to offer congratulations all knelt on the ground to welcome the princess as she descended from the palanquin. The welcoming feast was lavish, with the aroma of fine wine wafting through the air, and the square remained lively for seven consecutive days. Truly, joy filled the land, and celebratory songs shook the mountains and rivers.

But behind the revelry lay an unnoticeable chill and desolation. The princess was deeply dissatisfied with this marriage. On the wedding day, when she saw her groom Galdan, she nearly fainted from fright. His tall stature and pockmarked long face were nothing like the ideal partner she had imagined. Although she was born to the noblewoman Lady Zhaogiya and not as exalted as some other princesses, she had grown up by the side of Empress Dowager Borjigit, Emperor Kangxi’s grandmother, and was deeply favored, thus rather spoiled. She had heard tales of Princess Wencheng’s journey to Tibet and Wang Zhaojun’s departure for the frontier. Marrying into Mongolia for the sake of the nation, she had hoped to be wed to a talented and handsome match—

a desirable husband.

But in the end, things turned out contrary to her wishes, leaving her furious and bitter. According to Qing customs, if a princess did not hang up red lanterns, the groom could not enter without permission, and even if he did, he had to observe a formal etiquette of subject to ruler. Heshuo Duanjing, the princess, long refused to hang the red lanterns. Galdan, the groom, grew furious. Coupled with his arrogant personality, refusal to humble himself, and official duties that kept him frequently patrolling the frontier between Dolon and Linxi, he sought pleasure elsewhere and left the princess behind. Heshuo Duanjing, the princess, spent her days melancholy and disheartened, and passed away before reaching the age of 37. The cause of her death remains uncertain and unverifiable. Emperor Kangxi, mindful of the princess’s lifelong contributions to the royal family, ordered the construction of a grand tomb — the Princess Tomb — to give her a dignified burial.

The site of the tomb is a naturally beautiful mountainous area with a vast view and majestic atmosphere, covering more than ten acres. The tomb architecture is also grand and spectacular. In front of the grave stands a tall stone memorial archway with four pillars and three gates, flanked by granite stone pillars on either side. The structure and decoration are unified and perfect. In the center is a stele pavilion housing a massive imperial stele inscribed in three languages — Mongolian, Chinese, and Manchu — mainly recounting the life of Heshuo Duanjing, the princess, marked by diligence, frugality, kindness, and grace.

The tomb is divided into front and back sections. The main hall, the great hall, and the east and west wing rooms total over thirty rooms, all built with finely jointed bricks and topped with cylindrical tiles. The tunnel leading to the burial chamber is lined on both sides with exquisitely carved stone furniture such as tables, chairs, and offerings, along with white marble railings complete with dragon heads and turtle pedestals — all extremely magnificent and luxurious. This was the former Princess Tomb.

In the 50th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, a monarch, wishing to express his esteem for the north and reverence for his daughter’s “patriotic devotion,” granted a special decree allowing the princess and her groom to be buried together — known as a “ruler-and-subject joint burial.”

Time flies, years pass, and as time goes by, the erosion of nature’s wind and rain and human destruction have left only a stone memorial archway of the Princess Tomb today, silently witnessing the storms of the past three hundred years and the princess’s life of loyalty.