These by far surpass their more famous predecessors, the Ming Tombs, but they are seldom visited owing to their relative remoteness from Beijing.
It usually takes three hours to make the 120-kilometre trip from Beijing.
They form a rural version of the Forbidden City and are nearly as elaborate. Tastefully restored for the most part, this Imperial city is vast, grand and uncrowded.
The Eastern Qing Tombs are the final resting place of the three rulers who did the most to preserve the historic treasures of Beijing that people can see today.
Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722), his grandson Emperor Qianlong (1711-99), and Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), whose lives spanned that of China's last dynasty, are all buried in splendid underground palaces at this site.
It would become China's largest dynastic cemetery, entombing five emperors, 15 empresses, and more than 100 concubines, princes, and princesses - even Emperor Kangxi's teacher.
To get there: take long-distance bus at Bawangfen to Zunhua, where the tombs are located. Or drive along the route: Bawangfen-Yanjiao-Sanhe-Bangjun-Jixian-Shimen.
Admission: 80 yuan (US$9.50) for a through ticket.
Notes: The group tombs are scattered over a wide area. They span 30 km in all. You can drive or rent a minibus for up to 60 yuan (US$7.20) for half a day.
(Beijing Weekend March 6, 2003)
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