An imperial tomb of the Qing Dynasty in China, the Final Resting place of Hong Taiji

Huangtaiji, the founding emperor of the Qing dynasty, reigned from 1626 to 1643, passed away at the age of 52. He was buried at the northern outskirts of Shen Yun, a capital city in Liaoning province, China. This is the story of his tomb. In China, an emperor's tomb always has a title. For the tomb of Huangtaiji, the title is Zhao Mausoleum, which means Mausoleum of Brightness. This mausoleum is a popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. The construction of this site started in 1643 and took 8 years to finish, stretching over 3 million square meters. This red gate is the entrance to this whole complex. The decorative elements on the wall reflect the grandeur of the imperial family. The inscriptions on this stone tablet say, Officials dismount from here. It means that when holding sacrificial ceremonies in the old days, government officials would have to get off their horses and start walking from here. This stone column is a decorative structure that can only be used by the imperial family. This little path made of stone in the middle is called the spiritual path, as it is for the spirit of the deceased emperor to walk. This memorial archway is a monumental architecture. It has various functions and serves as the gate of the mausoleum as one of them. The carving of this memorial archway is incredibly elegant. Keep moving forward, we can see another red gate with three arches. This is the entrance to the main area of this mausoleum. Alongside this spiritual path, there is a pair of stone columns and six pairs of animal statues, also made of stone. A lion, horse, camel, elephant, and two animals only exist in mythology, Qilin and Xiezhi. These two creatures all look like unicorns. This pavilion in front of us has a huge stone tablet inside. This stone tablet is called a stele with the merits and virtues of the tomb owner inscribed on it. This magnificent gate is the entrance to the citadel, which is the most critical part of this whole complex. It was a fortress heavily guarded by soldiers in the old days. This long wooden rod would be used to latch the big gate at night. Inside this gate is a square courtyard, which is the place to conduct ceremonies in the old days. This pavilion-shaped structure is a furnace, where people would burn offerings inside for the tomb owner to use in the afterlife. This hall is the place to hold sacrificial ceremonies and to worship the memorial tablets. Around the back is the burial site of the tomb owner. These five stone statues are called the five offerings, which consist of an incense burner, a pair of vases, and a pair of candles. At the end of this tunnel is a screen. Some say the entrance of the burial chamber is underneath, but it's just a speculation. Inside this hall is another huge stone tablet with the title of this tomb inscribed on it. The mound at the back is the burial site of the tomb owner. Experts speculate the burial chamber remained intact and undisturbed. After Huangtaiji passed away with the territorial expansion, his son, the Shunzhi Emperor, became the first Qing Emperor to rule over China proper, and Beijing turned into the capital city of this regime since then. Therefore, the following emperors of the Qing dynasty were all buried near Beijing after they passed away. As the second emperor of the Qing dynasty, Huangtaiji was the last emperor of the Qing dynasty to be buried in the city of Shen Yun.