The Eastern Qing Mausoleum, located near Zhangjiakou, China, is the burial site of Empress Dowager Cixi, a powerful figure in the late Qing dynasty. This mausoleum is surrounded by impressive architecture and lush landscapes designed according to traditional Chinese feng shui principles. What makes this site particularly notorious is the vast treasure Cixi was buried with—an estimated $15 million worth of jade, gold, and pearls—intended to accompany her into the afterlife. However, a mere two decades after her death, the mausoleum was plundered, with its treasures stolen by a warlord using dynamite. The tension between the imperial past and emerging modernity following Cixi’s death echoes through the site, leaving behind not only tales of grandeur but also the tragic loss of heritage.