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Daming Palace National Heritage Park

Introducing Daming Palace National Heritage Park
The Daming Palace was the imperial palace complex of the Tang dynasty, located in its capital Chang'an. It served as the imperial residence of the Tang emperors for more than 220 years. In 634, Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty launched the construction of the Daming Palace. He ordered the construction of the summer palace for his retired father, Emperor Gaozu, as an act of filial piety. However, Emperor Gaozu grew ill and never witnessed the palace's completion before his death in 635, and construction halted thereafter. Empress Wu Zetian commissioned the court architect Yan Liben to design the palace in 660 and construction commenced once again in 662. In 663, the construction of the palace was completed under the reign of Emperor Gaozong. Emperor Gaozong had launched the extension of the palace with the construction of the Hanyuan Hall in 662, which was finished in 663. On 5 June 663, the imperial family began to relocate from the Taiji Palace into the yet to be completed Daming Palace, which became the new seat of the imperial court and political center of the empire.

Daming Palace National Heritage Park Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Da Ming Gong 大明宫
• Best Time to Visit: All year around
• Recommended Visiting Hours: About 2 to 3 hours
• Opening Hours
  Apr 15 to Oct 15: 8:30-19:00 (last entry at 18:30)
  Oct 16 to Apr 14: 8:30-18:00 (last entry at 17:30)
• Entrance Fee
  Park Area: Free
  Cultural Relics Preservation and Exhibition Area: CNY60
• Address: No. 585 Ziqiang East Road, Xincheng District, Xian

What to expect at Daming Palace National Heritage Park
Beginning from the south and ending in the north, on the central axis, stand Danfeng Gate, the central southern entrance of the Daming Palace, the Hanyuan Hall, the Xuanzheng Hall, and the Zichen Hall. These three halls were historically known as the "Three Great Halls" and were respectively part of the outer, middle, and inner court. The remains of Daming Palace of Chang’an mainly include: gates remains like Danfeng Gate, palace wall remains, architecture remains like Hanyuan Hall, Linde Hall, Sanqing Hall, Dafu Hall, Wangxian High-Platform Pavilion, water system and bridges remains like Taiye Pool and Longshou branch stream site, roads(including corridors) remains like Yudao Road.

Danfeng Gate
Danfeng Gate is the south gate of Daming Palace, which has altogether five gateways with a tower on top. The newly-built Danfeng Gate is not rebuilt but a newly-made model made up of slabs hung upon the steel structure. The interior of the Danfeng Gate is a museum mainly in the former relics of Danfeng Gate which realizes the perfect combination of reservation and presentation. After passing through the Danfeng Gate, there is a square of 630 meters long with at the end the Hanyuan Hall.

Outer Court (Hanyuan Hall)
Hanyuan Hall is the main hall of Daming Palace where many state ceremonies were conducted. The grand meeting in New Year’s Day and Winter Solstice and varieties of ceremonies like audience of foreign missions and changing the designation of an imperial reign, enthronement, royal celebration, amnesty and military parade were all held here. Hanyuan Hall was connected to pavilions by corridors, namely the Xiangluan Pavilion in the east and the Qifeng Pavilion in the west. The pavilions were composed of three outward-extending sections of the same shape but different size that were connected by corridors. The elevated platform of the Hanyuan Hall is approximately 15 meters high, 200 meters wide, and 100 meters long.

Middle Court (Xuanzheng Hall)
The Xuanzheng Hall is located at a distance of about 300 meters north of the Hanyuan Hall. State affairs were usually conducted in this hall. The office of the secretariat was located to the west of the Xuanzheng Hall and the office of the chancellery was located to the east. From this area, structured in a Three Departments and Six Ministries system, the Department of State Affairs, the Chancellery, and the Secretariat handled the central management of the Tang empire.

Inner Court
The Zichen Hall, located in the inner court, is approximately 95 meters north of the Xuanzheng Hall. It housed the central government offices. For officials, it was considered a great honor to be summoned to the Zichen Hall. The Taiye Pool, also known as the Penglai Pool, is north of the Zichen Hall. The former gardens that surround the pond and island have been recreated, based on the historical record, with peony, chrysanthemum, plum, rose, bamboo, almond, peach, and persimmon gardens. The Linde Hall is located to the west of the lake. It served as a place for banquets, performances, and religious rites. It consisted of three halls—a front, middle, and rear hall—adjacent to each other. An imperial park could be found north of the palace complex. The Sanqing Hall was located in the northeast corner the Daming Palace and served as a Taoist temple for the imperial family.

How to get to Daming Palace National Heritage Park
• Xingjiao Temple is located north of Xian Railway Stion.
• Take bus No. 2, 262, 528, 708, 717 or 723, get off at Danfengmen Staion.
• Take Metro Line 4 to Daminggong (Daming Palace Site of Tang Dynasty).
• Rent a car/bus from GGC to enjoy a hassle free private transfer from hotels in Xian to Daming Palace National Heritage Park.

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