Western Qing Tombs

The Qing dynasty split its imperial burials between two sites, and the western group at Yixian holds four emperors, Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Guangxu, along with empresses and consorts, in a valley of pine and cypress covering more than eight hundred square kilometres of designated area. Yongzheng chose the site rather than join his father at the eastern tombs, and later emperors alternated between the two. The tombs are UNESCO-listed, and Tailing, Yongzheng's, is the grandest, with its own sacred way. Chongling, Guangxu's, completed after the dynasty fell, is open underground. Compared with the Ming Tombs the site is quiet, with visitors thin even at weekends.

What you actually see

• Tailing - Yongzheng's tomb, the largest, with its own spirit way.
• Chongling - the last imperial tomb built in China, open underground.
• The pine valley - old forest surrounding the burial complexes.
• The quiet - a UNESCO site with a fraction of the Ming Tombs' visitors.

When to go

April to May and September to October for the mildest weather; winter is cold and the valley bleak, summer hot. Weekends bring some domestic visitors but the site rarely feels crowded.

Honest expectations

Getting there without a car is awkward, with limited public transport from Beijing. Sites are spread over several kilometres. Signage in English is patchy, and some halls are closed or under restoration.

Nearby

Baoding lies southeast; the Eastern Qing Tombs are on the far side of Beijing.