Chinese archeologists have found a mausoleum of 11 imperial concubines of Emperor Huangtaiji, the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in northern Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province.
The mausoleum was found at the Zhaoling Tomb, an imperial cemetery where the body of Emperor Huangtaiji (1616-1911) was buried.
The rectangular concubines' tomb covers a total area of 1,350 square meters. It had been robbed before it was found. Further clearing work is underway, and the spot will be opened to visitors after that.
According to archeologists, Chenfei Concubine, or Hailanzhu, the favorite concubine of Emperor Huangtaiji, was buried in the tomb. Chenfei was conferred the top imperial concubine, and ranked second only after the empress, experts said.
According to imperial rules of the Qing Dynasty, an empress was entitled to be buried with her emperor, but an emperor's concubines enjoyed no such privilege and were buried together in a separate tomb.
A large tomb of a Qing emperor's concubines was discovered in 1995 in the East Mausoleum in Hebei Province, where a dozen late Qing emperors were interred.
(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2003)
