Although Beijing has been the capital of China for five dynasties, the only imperial mausoleums complex in the vicinity of the city today is the Ming Tombs. The sight was labeled as the World Culture Heritage in 2003.The Ming tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou (Longevity of Heaven) Mountain in Changping County, about 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing proper. To the southwest of this valley, a branch of the Yanshan Range suddenly to breaks off and forms a natural gateway to the 40-square-kilometer basin in which the tombs were built.
