8am: Start the day with the ample international buffet breakfast at the Traders Hotel. This 4 star hotel from Shangri-La is centrally located and offers a convenient base to explore the city.

9am: Take a taxi to North Tomb. This is set in the spacious grounds of Beiling Park. In winter the lakes are transformed into ice rinks. At the north end of the park, the sprawling tomb is very similar in layout to ones of the Ming Dynasty. The approach is flanked by 12 stone sets of animals, both real and imaginary. There is then a walled compound containing building and culminating in the burial mound for Abahai (Huang Taiji). Whilst he started the war that lead to the founding of the Qing dynasty, he didn’t quite live to see it happen.

Unfortunately I don’t seem to have any electronic version of this article.