Located at the foot of Changduan Mountain in the center of the mausoleum complex, Xiaoling Mausoleum is central to the Shunzhi mausoleum. Emperor Shunzhi, who also went by the name Fu Lin (1636-1661), was the first emperor after the Qing court moved to present Beijing. Having ascended the throne at just six years of age, the 18 years of his reign brought about great changes to China and its history.

In the first year of Shunzhi's reign (1644), a peasant army led by Li Zicheng overthrew the Ming rule in Beijing, which was, in turn, betrayed by the traitor Wu Sangui; the Qing army then defeated Li Zicheng and occupied Beijing. Shortly afterwards, Shunzhi came to Beijing from Shenyang and made Beijing the capital. In the 18th year (1661) of his reign Shunzhi died in Yangxindian (Hall for Cultivating Character) in the Forbidden City . In the summer of the second year of Kangxi's reign (1663), Shunzhi's coffin was buried in Xiaoling.

Located half a kilometer east of the Xiaoling Mausoleum is Xiaodongling, where seven empresses and concubines are buried, including Xiao Huizhang and Duan Shun.

 Jingling Mausoleum

Located to the east of Xiaoling, this is the tomb of Emperor Kangxi. Built in 1681 in the 20th year of Kangxi's reign, the mausoleum is nearly as large as the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and the columns of the Long'en Palace are particularly magnificent. Kangxi's reign lasted for 61 years -- one of the longest periods of rule in Chinese history.

To the east of Jingling are two cemeteries for Kangxi's concubines, including Taifei and Jingfei.

 Yuling Mausoleum

Located in Shengshuiyu, west of the Xiaoling mausoleum, and covering an area of over 690 mu (1 mu equals 1/15 hectares), this is the tomb of Emperor Qianlong, who ruled for 60 years (1736 to 1795).

In the 60th year of Qianlong's reign (1796), the emperor enthroned his son to become an overlord for four years. Under Qianlong China was in a flourishing state and began to decline afterwards. Qianlong died at the age of 89 in the fourth year of Jiaqing's reign (1799).

Yuling Mausoleum is where the emperor, his two empresses and three concubines were buried. At present, the underground palace of this tomb is open for public viewing. A uniquely constructed traditional arched stone structure, the underground palace is 54 meters long, consisting of three rooms and four doors with an area of 327 meters. Carved on the walls and ceiling of the palace are eight large stone bodhisattvas, four heavenly kings and Buddha and a five-piece stone altar with thousands of Buddhist sutras and incantations in Sanskrit and Tibetan. All these carved works were executed using clear-cut lines and vivid figures. The many patterns are arranged systematically, differentiating between the principal and subordinate. This underground palace, with its great treasury, is a witness to the luxurious life led by feudal rulers, as well as a crystallization of the wisdom of the laboring people.

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