"One palace and three tombs"have been chosen as the "Top 50

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<>Fifty tourist sites, including Shenyang Imperial Palace, YongLing Mausoleum, Fu Ling (East Tomb) and Zhao Ling (North Tomb), have been chosen as the "Top 50 Chinese Destinations for Foreigners," according to the results of a public poll on Saturday. </P>

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<>Near Zhongjie commerical street, one of Shenyang's shopping area,  is the Shenyang Imperial palace, which is an excellently well-preserved cultural relic. In 1625 Nurhaci began construction on the palace and it was completed in 1636 under Abahai's reign. Although it is considered a miniature of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Palace by comparison is smaller in scale. The Manchurian influence behind its construction also shows a vast departure in style from its predecessor. The main architecture on the central axis is the Chong Zheng Dian, where Abahai attended to his political affairs. This is the hall where Juchen was renamed Manchu. Behind is the three towers Feng Huang Lou (Phoenix Tower), and Qing Ning Gong (Palace of Celestial Peace) in which Abahai and his concubines lived. Da Zheng Dian (Hall of Great Affairs) is the mail architecture on the east axis. In front of the hall,there are eight pavilions for the Manchurian tribal lords to gather for discussion of state affairs and other important ceremonies.

Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 1 at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Suzhou as an extension of the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties inscribed in 1987. The property is now to be known as the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang. The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang consists of 114 buildings, constructed between 1625-26 and 1783. It contains an important library and testifies to the foundation of the last dynasty that ruled China, before it expanded its power to the centre of the country and moved the capital to Beijing. This palace then became auxiliary to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. This remarkable architectural edifice offers important historical testimony to the history of the Qing Dynasty and to the cultural traditions of the Manchu and other tribes in the north of China.
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<>Admission Fee:   50
Opening Hours: 08:10 to 17:00
Recommended Time for a Visit:  One hour
Bus Route: 213,222
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<></P><>Shenyang Imperial Palace
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<>Originally known as Xingjing Tomb and built in 1598, this mausoleum lies south of Qiyun Mountain near the Suzi River and northwest of the Yongling Township in Xinbin County under Fushun jurisdiction.  It was restored many times during the Kang Xi and Qian Long reigns after it was renamed Yongling in 1659. It covers an area of about twelve thousand square kilometers surrounded by mountains and rivers and creating the impression of luxuriant surroundings. Ancestors of the first Qing emperor, Nurhachi (1559-1626), are buried in this tomb. They are Gaitemu, one of his ancestors; Fuman, and his great-grandfather; Juechangan his grandfather, and his father, Takeshi.</P>
<>The mausoleum is composed of the Front Courtyard, the Fangcheng (the square castle) and Baocheng (tombs surrounded by additional high walls like a castle), all surrounded by a vermilion wall.  At the center of the south front yard stands the Red Gate inside of which are four pavilions with four stone tablets in each pavilion praising the four ancestors.  On the east and west sides are tea houses, washing rooms and houses for worshippers to change their clothes. In line with the system of "office hall in front and bedroom in the rear" a Hall of Offering Sacrifice was built inside the Square Castle. Left and right walls are inlayed with color glazed dragons which added luster to the vermilion walls and yellow tiles. The main building at the center of the Square Castle was called Qiyun Hall. Inside Qiyun Hall is the warm pavilion and treasure bed for offering sacrifices.  Two side halls are on the east and west sides of Qiyun Hall. In front of the side halls is a silk burning furnace.  Behind Qiyun Hall are tombs, most of whose occupants have been removed to other places.  Some tombs contain only the hat and clothing of the dead.</P>
<>Originally there was an old elm called the "fairy tree." When Emperor Qian Long, in the 43rd year of his reign, traveled to the east, he wrote a poem about the tree: "The Song of the Fairy Tree." The poem was inscribed on a stone tablet, which stood beside the tree. The stone tablet has been moved and is now in the western side hall.</P>
<>Yongling Mausoleum is not large. Inside the Square Castle are castle-like watchtowers with embrasures, turrets, passages and a mausoleum with an underground palace. The mausoleum, nestled among the hills with Qiyun Mountain towering behind it, is opposite Yancong Mountain with Suzi River running between them. From a distance the mausoleum appears as a red dot in the green carpet of the forest. </P>
<>The Three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning Province include the Yongling Tomb, the Fuling Tomb, and the Zhaoling Tomb have been inscribed on world heritage list on July 1.</P>

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<></P><> <B>Qing YongLing (Yong Tomb)</B>
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Situated in the Dongling Park in the eastern suburb of Shenyang, Fu Mausoleum is the mausoleum of the Qing Emperor Nurhach and his queen, Xiaoci Gao Yehenala. Since it is located in the eastern suburb of Shenyang, it's also called the Eastern Mausoleum. Facing the Hun River and relying on Mt. Tianzhu,  
<>The Fu Mausoleum covers an area of 194,800 square meters with abundant tall pines and huge buildings. Making use of the terrain, the "108 Steps" symbolize the 36 Big Dippers and the 72 Earth Devils, and is an important sign of the Fu Mausoleum. </P>
<>The Three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning Province include the Yongling Tomb, the Fuling Tomb, and the Zhaoling Tomb, were inscribed on world heritage list on July 1.</P>

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<></P><>Fu Mausoleum and Dongling Park</P>

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The Zhao Mausoleum is situated in the Beiling Park, the largest park in Shenyang City, north to the Taishan Road in the Huanggu District. The Zhao Mausoleum is the mausoleum of Emperor Huang Taiji and his queen, Xiao Duan Wen Borjijite. Since it is located in the north of Shenyang, it is also called the Northern Mausoleum.  
<>Covering an area of 4,500,000 square meters, Zhao Mausoleum was the largest one among the "three Mausoleums outside the Shanhaiguan Pass" before the Qing State entered the pass, and the main part of the Beiling Park. </P>
<>The Three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning Province include the Yongling Tomb, the Fuling Tomb, and the Zhaoling Tomb, all built in the 17th century. Constructed for the founding emperors of the Qing Dynasty and their ancestors, the tombs follow the precepts of traditional Chinese geomancy and fengshui theory. They feature rich decoration of stone statues and carvings and tiles with dragon motifs, illustrating the development of the funerary architecture of the Qing Dynasty. The three tomb complexes, and their numerous edifices, combine traditions.</P>
<>The three tombs have been inscribed on world heritage list on July 1.

The Beiling Park has the East Lake, the Youth Lake in the southeast, Fangxiu Garden in the southwest, and sequestered trees, singing birds and fragrant flowers in the north. The whole park boasts verdant trees and old pines reaching the sky. </P>

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<></P><>Zhao Mausoleum and Beiling Park</P>