We used to do a hike before a visit to the tombs, but then fire wardens and a large quarry made it a bit difficult. Because of that, our last visits were more like a sightseeing trip

In 2023 Beijing Hikers Big Boss Huijie went out for a look, and found that the hike is all good again.

It’s not a long hike – just about 5km – but there is a good amount of hill climbing in the middle, with some steep, extended climbs up.

The hike

We start out on the outskirts of a small village in the majority-Manchu Malanyu area.

To begin with we’re on an easy track, following the old quarry road up a flat valley.

After about 20 minutes we start the climb up into the hills, a slow ascent until we get to the firebreak that follows the ridgeline.

We then follow the firebreak all the way up to one of the lower peaks in the hills here. From the clearing on the peak we should be able to spot some of the tombs down below.

From the peak we head down to a dip in the hills, and then hike out along a long valley to reach the tombs area.

We’re not quite done with the walking yet!

The Ming Tombs in Beijing are all spread out, and to see them all on the same day would mean quite a bit of driving about. The tombs here are all within walking distance, so we’ll be able to visit most of them on foot (time permitting).

The Eastern Qing tombs

The Eastern Qing Tombs are located in Hebei Province, to the northeast of Beijing and a little way outside of the Beijing municipality. As opposed to the well known Ming Tombs in Changping, the Eastern Qing Tombs are grouped quite closely together, making it easy to see a lot at the same time. The tombs are no less interesting than the Ming Tombs, and several of the tombs have their underground areas—called Underground Palaces—open to visits. In some places, the red walls and halls look a little like parts of the Forbidden City, were it to have a more open-plan layout.

In the Eastern Qing Tombs complex we can visit the tombs of numerous famous figures of the Qing Dynasty, including Shun Zhi (first emperor of the Qing Dynasty), Empress Dowager Cixi, and Qian Long (seventh and longest-reigning emperor of the Qing Dynasty). The site was chosen for its auspicious feng shui: mountains behind, and water in front.

As the name suggests, there are also Western Qing Tombs. The reason for this is that son of one of the Qing Emperors plotted to usurp the throne, and as a result of this ‘complication’ it was decided that each successive emperor should be interred in a different location, alternating between the Western and Eastern Qing Tombs.

We'll first visit the main block of tombs and take a good look around as much of the complex as possible.