Brief synthesisThe Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were built between 1368 and 1915 AD in Beijing Municipality, Hebei Province, Hubei Province, Jiangsu Province and Liaoning Province of China. The Ming and Qing imperial tombs are located in topographical settings carefully chosen according to principles of geomancy (Fengshui) and comprise numerous buildings of traditional architectural design and decoration. The tomb of the first Ming Emperor, the Xiaoling Tomb broke with the past and established the basic design for those that followed in Beijing, and also the Xianling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Zhongxiang, the Western Qing Tombs and the Eastern Qing Tombs. Protection and management requirementsImperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been protected legally by central and local governments. Based on the current protection and management system, relevant administrative organizations of the Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs will revise and improve the conservation and management plans for the tombs.