This week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site is the final resting place for some of China’s most powerful emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These dynasties, which together lasted from 1368 to 1912, were China’s last two imperial dynasties. After the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, it was succeeded by the Republic of China.

The tombs themselves, which are laid out according to ancient Chinese principles of fengshui, are impressive and richly decorated with carvings and statues. They are designed to look like imperial palaces, providing suitable housing for the spirits of emperors, empresses, and other members of the royal family.

UNESCO says that “The Ming and Qing imperial tombs are outstanding testimony to a cultural and architectural tradition that for over 500 years dominated this part of the world. By reason of their integration into the natural environment, they make up a unique ensemble of cultural landscapes.”

If you’d like to visit these tombs yourself, you’ll need a Chinese visa. Apply for an “L” visa if you’re planning to visit as a tourist.

Here are the documents you’ll need to apply:

• One completed Chinese visa application
• Your passport. Check the expiration date and make sure it’s at least 6 months in the future. If your passport expires in the next 6 months you need to renew before applying for a Chinese visa. You’ll also need at least one blank page in the back for your visa. If you don’t have a blank page, you must get some pages added first in order for your visa application to be approved.
• A copy of the information page of your passport. That’s the page with your name, birthdate and other biographical information on it.
• One passport photo glued or stapled to the application.

If you are leaving within the next 7 days, you should also enclose a copy of your travel itinerary so that your Chinese visa can be expedited.

RushMyTravelVisa makes getting a Chinese visa easy and quick. When you apply with us, you’ll get a visa specialist to walk you through the application process, reducing the chance of errors that could delay your visa. Then, we’ll expedite your paperwork with the Chinese embassy for super-fast processing.

Apply for your Chinese visa with us today!

Tags: China, China visa, Chinese visa, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 16th, 2011 at 11:03 pm and is filed under World Heritage Site of the Week. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.