The Eastern Tombs were started fu 1663 by the Emperor Kang Hel who erected here the tomb of his father, Shun Chih, Kang Hsi himself buried here. Ch'ien Lung 00, though he decided to be buried here in defiance of the Court astrologers who advised him to have his tomb at the Western Tombs (Hsi Ling) where his father, the Emperor Yung Cheng lies. Ch'lan Lung no doubt Ignored the behests of "Feng-shut", Because he wanted to lie near his famous grandfather, Kanghsi.. whom hho always greatly admired. Besides these three, the Emperors Hsien Feng and Tung Chih are buried here. The remaining Manchu. Em-errors (Yung Cheng, Chia Ching, Tao Kuang, and Kuang Lis) are buried at the Western Tombs. The tombs of Kang Hsi and Chien Lung are the two most imposing.
The general plan of the tombs is the same throughout: a pavilion con-faining a huge marble tablet on the back of a tortoise with an inseripion in eulogy of the emperor, a marble bridge, avenue of animals and 'oMicials, entrance gate, "court= yard, hall for the ancestral tablet, and at the back the huge circular grave mound, like a small hillock, Inside "which, is the actual "comin chamber. Subject to certain small exceptions the general system apears to have been that, while the empresses were buried in the same tomb as their consort, the concubines each Emperor are buried together 'a a separate and much less impos-Ing tomb enclosure, the titles of which are green, instead of the Imperial. yellow.
The Exclusive Tru Msi 'The tomb of the famous Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi is an exception. Ais one of the most. magnificent structures of all and is actually a double tomb. Her husband, the Fmperor Hsien Feng, had' two empresses: Tzu Hi, the "Western Empress" and Tru An, the "Eastern Empress". The larier' died in 1880 and was' buried, not with Hsien Feng, but in 9 separate tomb which was intended to be the burial-place 6 both empresses, a special place in the coffin chamber having been made ready for Tzu List's coffin, But the old lady who had ruled over the Empire for so many years was not rebared to share a tomb with any-tone else, and so she had her own tomb built alongside and exactly corresponding to that in which het former colleague lies. It is. however, much more beautifully decorated. 'The colouring and decoration of the Empress-Dowager's tomb is magnifcent, quite different not only from hat' of all the other tombs, but from any other Imperial buildings I have ever seen in China. Instead of the conventional decoration In four colours (red, blue, green and yellow), the ceilings and rest of the Wood-work sre done entirely in gilt and brown and the walls and pillars are covered with marvellous gilt panelling. Unfortunately the pillars have been stripped of most of this Paneling. It i also noteworthy: that while the inscription on the honorific marble tablet of the Empress Tzu An is merely coloured Fed, that of the Empress-Dowager is done in gold leaf.
Even now, though badly defaced many of' the lesser details and bereft of their forest setting, these Eastern Tombs resplendent in red and yellow rising up sharply out of the bare open countryside, with the mountains "lowering right "behind them, remain a very remarkable In the near future, when they: have been repaired and better communication has been established, these tombs are ikely to prove at even greater attraction to the foreign visitor, than the, to my mind, mich less imposing Ming Tombs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.