Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties


Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is the designation under which the UNESCO has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Sites. These tombs date from the Ming and Qing dynasties of China.
Tombs were included in the list in 2000, 2003 and 2004. Three Imperial tombs in Liaoning Province, all built in the 17th century, were added in 2004: the Yongling tomb, the Fuling tomb and the Zhaoling tomb were constructed for the founding emperors of the Qing dynasty and their ancestors. These tombs feature rich decoration of stone statues and carvings and tiles with dragon motifs, illustrating the development of the funerary architecture of the Qing dynasty. The three tomb complexes, and their numerous edifices, combine traditions inherited from previous dynasties and new features of Manchu culture.

Properties included in the World Heritage Site

WHS No. 1004ter includes the following tombs or tomb groups:
Serial ID No.TombProvinceLocationCoordinatesArea Buffer Year inscribed
1004-001Xianling TombHubeiZhongxiang876,0002,264,0002000
1004-002Eastern Qing TombsHebeiZunhua2,240,00078,000,0002000
1004-003Western Qing TombsHebeiYi County18,420,00047,580,0002000
1004-004Ming TombsBeijingChangping District8,230,00081,000,0002003
1004-005Xiaoling TombJiangsuNanjing1,160,0001,800,0002003
1004-006Tomb of Chang YuchunJiangsuNanjing9,800 2003
1004-007Tomb of Qiu ChengJiangsuNanjing5,500 2003
1004-008Tomb of Wu LiangJiangsuNanjing4,0001,800,0002003
1004-009Tomb of Wu ZhenJiangsuNanjing3,500 2003
1004-010Tomb of Xu DaJiangsuNanjing8,500 2003
1004-011Tomb of Li WenzhongJiangsuNanjing8,700 2003
1004-012Yongling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoningFushun2,365,90013,439,4002004
1004-013Fuling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoningShenyang538,6007,023,6002004
1004-014Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing dynastyLiaoningShenyang478,9003,187,4002004
Total34,379,400234,294,400

Other Imperial tombs

The UNESCO World Heritage Site does not include the mausoleum complexes which the Hongwu Emperor had built for his ancestors: