Bei Ling

Description:

• This august tomb at the center of an Eastern Eden of ponds, pavilions, twisting paths, and 300-year-old pines contains the remains of Qing dynasty founder Huang (the Manchurian Tai Zong emperor, Abahai). The eighth son of Nurhaci, the Jurchen chieftain who unified Manchuria in the early 17th century, Huang Taiji rose to power shortly after his father's death, proclaimed the founding of the Qing dynasty in 1636, then conquered Korea.

  Construction of the tomb (also known as Zhao Ling) began in 1643, the year Huang Taiji died, and took 8 years to complete. A central path leads visitors through the front gate, past a stone army of guardian animals and into Long'en Dian, a large hall housing the emperor's memorial tablet. Climbing up onto the encircling wall at the northern end will put you at eye level with the tomb itself, a simple dirt hill topped by a lonely tree. Huang Taiji's body lies somewhere beneath. The tomb lies at the northern end of Bei Ling Park, former imperial cemetery turned public space.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010