North Tomb ¡¡
The finest sight in Shenyang, the North Tomb is the burial place of Huang Taiji (1952-1643) the founder of the Qing Dynasty (although he did not live to see the conquest of China). ¡¡

Set in the huge Beiling park, the tomb took eight years to build, and the impressive animal statues on the approach to it are reminiscent of the Ming tombs. The central grassy mound area is known as Zhaoling.

East Tomb ¡¡
Also known as Fuling, this tomb is set in a forested area 8km from Shenyang. Entombed here is Nurhachi, grandfather of Emperor Shunzhi who launched the Manchu invasion of China in 1644. Nurhachi is entombed with his mistress. ¡¡

Started in 1626, construction took several years to complete, with subsequent additions and renovations. It's similar in layout to the North Tomb, but is smaller and perched on a wooded hilltop overlooking a river.

This is a mini-Forbidden City in layout, although it's far smaller and the features are Manchti. The main structures were started by Nurhachi and completed in 1636 by his son, Huang Taiji. It is currently in the throes of restoration. ¡¡

Straight through the main gate at the far end of the courtyard is the main structure, the octagonal Dazheng Hall with its coffered ceiling and elaborate throne. It was here that Emperor Shunzhi was crowned before setting off to cross the Great Wall in 1644. ¡¡

In the courtyard in front of the hall are the Banner Pavilions, formerly administrative offices used by tribal chieftains. They now house displays of 17th and 18th century military equipment such as armour, swords and bows. ¡¡

The central courtyard west of Dazheng Hall contains a conference hall, living quarters and some shamanist structures (one Manchu custom was to pour boiling wine into the ear of a sacrificial pig, so that its cries would attract the devotees' ancestors). ¡¡

The courtyard to the western fringe is a residential area added on by Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century, and the Wensu Pavilion to the rear housed a copy of the Qianlong anthology. ¡¡

The palace functions as a museum, with exhibitions of ivory and jade artefacts, furniture, and Ming and Qing paintings. There is also a decent display of enamels and ceramics and an excellent collection of musical instruments. Unfortunately, exhibit captions are in Chinese.