When I was in college, I read Mr. Xu Guangyuan's "Historical History of the Western Qing Tombs". Since then, I have been curious about the Western Qing Tombs described by Mr. Xu, which is called "the last swan song of the Chinese imperial tombs", but I have been unable to go there because of the distance. So it was not until this summer that the author finally had the opportunity to go to this long-awaited place.
Departing from Beijing, take the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, and turn to the Zhangshi Expressway on the way. After two hours of driving, the author finally arrived at the Western Tomb of the Qing Dynasty.
Legend has it that Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty built the Western Qing Mausoleum at the foot of Yongning Mountain in Yi County instead of building his mausoleum in the Eastern Qing Mausoleum where his father and grandfather lived. There are flaws in the scenery, and sand and gravel are mixed in the soil layer, so the old mausoleum site was resolutely abandoned, and instead chose Yixian County, Hebei Province, an ideal place where "the sand and water in the Dragon's Cave are beautiful, and the situation is good, and all auspicious people are prepared". , and named it "Tailing".
After arriving at the Qingxi Mausoleum Scenic Area, stand in front of the entrance of the Tailing Mausoleum under the main peak of Yongning Mountain and look around. In the north of the mausoleum area is the majestic Yongning Mountain, which is like a natural curtain; Winding and undulating; to the east and south are mountains such as Jinlongyu and Yuanbaoshan. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the meandering Yishui River flows through, like a silver belt outlined in the lush landscape paintings.
Tailing
Tailing Mausoleum is the first mausoleum among the 4 imperial mausoleums and 10 palaces of princes and concubines in the Western Qing Mausoleum. It is also the mausoleum with the largest scale and the most complete shape and system in the Western Qing Mausoleum.
As the mausoleum of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, it started construction in the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730) and took six years to complete, covering an area of 8,47 hectares.
When you come to the Tailing Mausoleum, you will first pass through a five-arch bridge. After crossing the five-arch bridge, you will see three tall stone archways. There are three Duqing West Mausoleums, one on the front and one on the left and right sides, which are very spectacular. There is a saying that after the death of Emperor Yongzheng, the leaders of various Mongolian ministries raised funds to express their respect and condolences.
After passing the stone archway and the Dahongmen, even if you have officially entered the Tailing Mausoleum, not far from the entrance is the Shengde Shengong Stele Pavilion, commonly known as the Dabeilou, which records the life and achievements of Emperor Yongzheng. The inscription on the Stele of Merit and Virtue was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong to be written by Fang Bao, a great writer at that time. It took three years of repeated deliberation before it was written. It is a historical material of long-term value for the study of Emperor Yongzheng.
Pass through the Dabei Tower, go all the way north along the Shinto made of bluestone bricks, pass through the Seven-hole Bridge, Wangzhu, civil servants, military generals and animal images in turn, the stone statues, dragons and phoenixes, and the Sanlu Sankong Shinto Bridge. Arrived in front of the buildings of the Tailing Mausoleum.
To the east of the square in front of the Tailing Mausoleum is the God’s Kitchen. At that time, it was a special place for making and storing tributes for sacrifices. There are kitchens and slaughtering pavilions inside. Now it is used as an office for the staff of the scenic spot.
To the north of Shenchuku are the east and west chambers, which are the places where milk tea, melon and fruit snacks are prepared during sacrifices.
To the north of the East and West Banfang is the Longen Gate. The Longen Gate is the gate of the Tailing Building Complex. The entire building complex behind the gate is completely wrapped by a high red wall, forming a structure with the Longen Hall and Baoding as the core. There are two front and back courtyards.
The Long En Hall is built on a huge white marble pedestal as a whole, with double eaves, nine ridges and a gable roof, covered with yellow glazed tiles, five rooms wide and three rooms deep, with a grand and rigorous architectural pattern. There are also many exquisite cast bronze ritual vessels in front of the hall.
Bypassing the Long'en Hall and passing through the three-pillar gate, you will come to the rear dormitory of Tailing Mausoleum, where there are two-pillar gates, altars, Minglou, screen walls and treasure tops.
Baoding is the sealing soil above the underground palace where Emperor Yongzheng's coffin was parked. The circular wall is made of bricks, and "sanhe soil" is synthesized with lime, sand, and loess. It is tamped layer by layer, poured with glutinous rice soup, and nailed with iron nails for reinforcement.
As the last barrier to protect the emperor's mausoleum, the top of the treasure roof is made of Sanhe soil and many reinforcement techniques. It should be very strong and dense, but the barrier built by manpower cannot withstand the changes of the years after all. Today, nearly 300 years after the completion of the Tailing Mausoleum, the originally compacted roof is covered with pines, cypresses and green grass.
Chongling
Since many mausoleums of the Western Qing Mausoleum are scattered within the entire mausoleum area of 800 square kilometers, moving between various mausoleum areas requires minibuses in the scenic area.
Taking Zhongba to the east from Tailing Mausoleum is the Chongling Mausoleum where Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty was buried. The national power was weak at the end of the Qing Dynasty, so unlike other imperial mausoleums that started construction and even were completed during the reign of the emperor, the Chongling Mausoleum was first built in the first year of Qing Xuantong (1909) and was not completed until the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915). . Chongling Mausoleum is also the last of the emperor's mausoleums built in the history of our country.
Chongling Mausoleum is located in a ring-shaped depression about 5 kilometers northeast of Tailing Mausoleum, surrounded by dense pines and cypresses and clear rivers. Even though it was built at the end of the dynasty, the site selection was still exquisite. The Chongling Mausoleum imitates the Huiling Mausoleum of Emperor Tongzhi in shape. From south to north, there are five-hole bridges, Shinto stele pavilions, three-hole bridges, big platform, Longen Gate and other buildings.
The underground palace of the Chongling Mausoleum is the only underground palace of the imperial mausoleum open to the public in the Western Qing Dynasty. The underground palace is supported by arches made of blue and white stones, with a total area of more than 300 square meters. It houses the coffins of Emperor Guangxu and his empress.
Yongfu Temple
Walking two kilometers southeast from Chongling Mausoleum, you will arrive at Yongfu Temple, the easternmost part of the entire Qingxi Mausoleum scenic spot.
Yongfu Temple, commonly known as the Lama Temple, is a temple used by the royal mausoleums of the Qing Dynasty, and it is also an isolated product of the existing ancient Chinese royal mausoleum temples.
Yongfu Temple has a total of 19 buildings. Like most other buildings in the mausoleum area, it faces south and is covered with golden glazed tiles. It is hidden among many ancient trees. It is quiet but also magnificent.
After leaving Yongfu Temple, the day's journey came to an end. On this day, what touched me the most was the beauty of the natural scenery of the Qingxi Mausoleum, in addition to the royal craftsmanship, material selection, and exquisite shape, sophistication, and rigor of the Qingxi Mausoleum. The outside of the mausoleum is surrounded by mountains, and there are tens of thousands of hectares of pines and cypresses in the area, and the Yishui River meanders through it. Golden tiles, red walls, and bluestones are dotted among them. made.
