Daming Palace National Heritage Park

Background

Daming Palace was begun in the 8th year of the Tang Zhenguan era (634), originally as Yong'an Palace, a summer palace Emperor Taizong built for his father Li Yuan; the following year it was renamed Daming Palace, also called the "Eastern Palace". After Emperor Gaozong expanded it in the Longshuo era, it became the political center of the Tang dynasty, used for more than 200 years until it was destroyed by war in the 3rd year of Qianning (896). The palace city covered about 3.11 square kilometers on the Longshou Plateau in the northeast of Tang Chang'an. Its main gate, Danfeng Gate, had five passageways; to its north stood the main hall, Hanyuan Hall, while Linde Hall in the northwest was the largest secondary hall in the palace, and the Taiye Pond lay to the north. It was listed in the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 1961, the Daming Palace National Heritage Park was completed in 2010, and in 2014 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor".

Local customs

• The park is primarily about protecting the site: what you see above ground is mostly rammed-earth platforms, protective earth cover and indicative reconstructions
• Danfeng Gate is a protective display building built over the site, not an original Tang structure. You can start at the Danfeng Gate Site Museum to see the gate site, then walk north to the sites of the Hanyuan, Xuanzheng and Zichen Halls
• the park is large, and many Xi'an residents also use it as a park for walking and running.

Religion & beliefs

• Daming Palace is a palace ruin, not a religious site
• the park once had Taoist buildings such as the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, of which only the platforms remain. Simply follow the rules for heritage sites: do not climb on the rammed-earth platforms, and do not burn incense or scatter objects in the ruins.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• Allow 2–4 hours: walking only the central axis takes about 2 hours, and adding the Danfeng Gate Site Museum, the Archaeological Exploration Center and other halls is worth half a day. The park lies north of Xi'an Railway Station
• take the metro to a station near Daming Palace and walk to the Danfeng Gate or South Gate entrance. The grounds are long from north to south, so consider the sightseeing shuttle or cycling inside (subject to on-site availability). The extent of public areas and paid halls, tickets and reservation methods are subject to the park's official announcements. Plan the city wall near Xi'an Railway Station, the Beiyuanmen Muslim Quarter or the Shaanxi History Museum on a separate occasion
• adding the Terracotta Warriors on the same day would be too tight. Water refill points and shade in the park are limited, so in summer bring your own water and sun protection.