Touch the ultimate luxury of the late Qing Dynasty and encounter the royal autumn secret

As a World Cultural Heritage site, the Eastern Qing Tombs have always been a sacred place for history enthusiasts. During this National Day holiday, I made a special trip to Zunhua, Hebei, to explore this royal mausoleum where five emperors and fifteen empresses are buried. Among them, the most stunning is the Putuo Valley Eastern Tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi—this legendary mausoleum is known as the "pinnacle of luxury in ancient Chinese tombs."

Autumn Tracing: Stepping into the Time Tunnel of the Eastern Qing Tombs
The Eastern Qing Tombs in October resemble a magnificent oil painting. Upon arrival by car, the mountains and fields are covered with golden and fiery red leaves. Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, the red walls and yellow tiles of the tombs appear even more solemn and majestic. Walking along the sacred path, the stone slabs beneath your feet carry centuries of history, while the stone statues on both sides stand quietly, as if narrating the past glory. The autumn breeze rustles the ceremonial trees, blending with the sound of pine waves into a natural symphony that instantly makes one forget the hustle and bustle of the world, as if traveling back to the turbulent late Qing era.

Cixi’s Mausoleum: A Visual Feast of Ultimate Luxury
Passing through layers of palace gates, the grandeur of Putuo Valley Eastern Tomb strikes you immediately. In the twelfth year of Tongzhi (1873), Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci’an personally selected the auspicious site, and two tombs were built side by side, separated only by a horse trough ditch, with identical layouts and enormous silver expenditures. However, in the twenty-first year of Guangxu (1895), Cixi undertook a large-scale reconstruction of her tomb citing "long-term disrepair." This renovation lasted 13 years and cost a huge amount, reportedly 2.4 million taels of silver, creating the luxurious scene we see today.

Aboveground Architecture: The Perfect Fusion of “Wood Excellence,” “Gold Excellence,” and “Stone Excellence”
Wood Excellence: Precious Hainan Huanghuali Wood Worth Its Weight in Gold
Entering the Long’en Hall and the east and west side halls, a faint woody fragrance lingers in the air. The beams and columns of the three halls are all made from precious Hainan Huanghuali wood, a material that grows extremely slowly and has dense grain, nearly extinct by the Qing Dynasty. Among the 64 massive pillars, except for the 7-meter-high gilded pillars which are wrapped and inlaid, the rest are single original logs, with diameters reaching 1 meter and heights of 3.65 meters. Their value is truly "wood worth its weight in gold," making them a unique example in ancient Chinese architecture. Standing inside the hall, touching these pillars weathered by time, one can almost feel the exquisite craftsmanship and the ultimate pursuit of luxury by the artisans of that era.

Gold Excellence: A Luxurious Hall Piled with Gold
The decorations inside and outside the three halls are called "gold excellence." The painted beams and 64 bright pillars all use the highest grade "Golden Dragon and Imperial Seal Paintings," with gold leaf directly applied, consuming 4,592 taels of gold (about 143.5 kilograms), far exceeding the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The 64 pillars are wrapped with semi-three-dimensional gilded copper coiled dragons, with spring-loaded dragon whiskers that gently sway in the breeze, lifelike and vivid. Each ceiling panel is inlaid with a flying dragon made of one tael of heavy gold. Although over 540 gold ceiling panels were stolen by Sun Dianying later, only five and a half remain, one can still imagine the magnificent golden splendor of the past. The brick carvings on the inner walls, such as "Five Bats Bringing Longevity" and "Endless Swastikas," have raised parts brushed with gold and recessed parts with red gold, creating a play of light and shadow that makes one feel as if inside a golden palace, evoking admiration for Cixi’s extravagance.

Stone Excellence: The Power Symbol of Phoenix Over Dragon Patterns
The red stone relief on the Danbi Stone shows "Phoenix Above, Dragon Below," with the phoenix soaring and looking down, and the dragon curving and looking up. Sixty-nine carved balustrades depict "Phoenix Leading Dragon," and seventy-six viewing pillars uniquely feature "One Phoenix Suppresses Two Dragons" (single phoenix on the pillar head, double dragons on the pillar body). This is not only a unique decoration but also subtly implies the historical fact that Cixi controlled two emperors and twice ruled behind the curtain. The Han white jade stone carvings use high relief combined with openwork techniques, with ten hollowed parts such as the phoenix crown and dragon claws, making the layering and vitality the best of Qing Dynasty stone carvings. Every stone carving is delicate and exquisite, showcasing the superb skills of ancient craftsmen and highlighting Cixi’s supreme power.

Underground Palace: Simple Yet Uniquely Charming
Compared to the "stone carving art treasury" of Emperor Qianlong’s Yuling underground palace, Cixi’s tomb underground palace appears more modest. The scale of the five-vault two-door structure is smaller than that of several Qing emperors’ tombs, but the dragon and phoenix patterns carved on the first stone door’s panels—from left to right phoenix, dragon, phoenix, dragon—symbolize Cixi’s noble status. The second stone door has a similar structure to the first, with a copper door beam, which is quite rare. Below the underground palace are two dragon whisker ditches connected to the palace by six drainage holes to keep it dry. Standing inside the underground palace, although lacking luxurious decorations, the cool atmosphere and heavy stone doors still allow one to feel the vicissitudes and mystery of history.

Great Value Experience: Tickets and Surroundings
The Eastern Qing Tombs are a national 5A-level tourist attraction with very high cost performance. A regular ticket allows access to multiple main sites including the Eastern Tomb, enabling us to deeply explore the mysteries of this royal mausoleum. The surrounding facilities are also well equipped, with restaurants offering various local specialties, allowing us to enjoy authentic flavors while touring.

Historical Reflection: The Rise and Fall Behind the Luxury
The luxury of the Eastern Tomb is not just decoration of a mausoleum but a microcosm of late Qing history. Empress Dowager Cixi spent enormous sums to satisfy her personal desires by building the tomb, while the Qing government at the time faced internal and external troubles and national decline. This stark contrast makes one deeply reflect on the vicissitudes and ruthlessness of history. Today, after years of weathering and multiple looting incidents, although some treasures have been lost, the Eastern Tomb still attracts many visitors with its unique charm, allowing us to understand the rise and fall of that era.

This trip to the Eastern Qing Tombs, especially the visit to the Eastern Tomb, was very rewarding. It was not only a visual feast but also a spiritual cleansing. Here, I touched the warmth of history, felt the luxury and majesty of the ancient royal family, and gained a deeper understanding of late Qing history. If you are interested in history and culture, you might want to visit the Eastern Qing Tombs—you will surely be captivated by its charm.