Daming Palace National Heritage Park
The Daming Palace was the principal imperial palace of the Tang Empire, serving as the political center and national symbol of the Tang Dynasty. It was the largest among the three main palaces in Chang'an, known as the "Three Inner Palaces" (Daming Palace, Taiji Palace, and Xingqing Palace), and was called the "Eastern Inner Palace." Since the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, a total of 17 Tang emperors handled state affairs here for more than 240 years. The Daming Palace was the most magnificent palace complex of the Tang Empire and also the largest in area in the world at that time.
In the poem "A Reply to Jia Sheren's Poem on the Early Court in the Daming Palace" by the great poet Wang Wei, the line "The palace gates open wide in the heavenly realm; Officials from all nations pay homage to the sovereign" symbolizes the prosperous scene of the Tang Dynasty, highlighting the dignity of the Tang Empire and presenting a grand and solemn occasion and the nobility of the emperor.
The construction of the Daming Palace began in the eighth year of Zhenguan (634 AD) during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. It covers an area of approximately 3.2 square kilometers. The entire palace area can be divided into two parts: the front court and the inner courtyard. The front court was mainly used for court meetings, while the inner courtyard was mainly for residence and banquets. The centers of the front court were the Hanyuan Hall (Outer Court), the Xuanzheng Hall (Middle Court), and the Zichen Hall (Inner Court). In the inner courtyard, there was the Taiye Pool and more than 30 other palaces, pavilions, and observation towers.
The term "Daming" first appeared in the "Daming" section of "The Odes of the Grand Dynasty" in "The Book of Songs." According to the "Preface to Mao's Interpretation of the Book of Songs," it means: "King Wen had noble virtue, so Heaven commanded King Wu. King Wen and King Wu succeeded each other, and their noble virtue became more and more extensive day by day. Therefore, it is called Daming." Just as the name of the Weiyang Palace also comes from "The Book of Songs," the Daming Palace was named as a self - admonition, taking the diligence and wisdom of the Zhou kings as an example.
There is also a strange legend about the origin of the Daming Palace. When the construction began, an ancient bronze magic mirror was unearthed from the construction site. Wei Zheng recognized it as the national - protecting treasure of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, which was used to eliminate dissidents and was called the "Qin Mirror." It is said that it could clearly show the internal organs of the human body. More importantly, it could also reveal the loyalty or treachery of the officials and the rise and fall of the national fortune. After the completion of the Daming Palace, the Qin Mirror was hung in the court to deter evil spirits, and later, the saying "a clear mirror hanging high" emerged. With the magic mirror guarding, it was a place full of righteousness and integrity, so it was called the Daming Palace.
On March 4, 1961, the Daming Palace Site was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 2010, Xi'an City established the Daming Palace National Heritage Park on the original site of the Daming Palace. On June 22, 2014, the Daming Palace Site, as one of the heritage sites in the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an - Tianshan Corridor," was successfully included in the "World Heritage List." On October 18, 2021, the Daming Palace Site was selected into the "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries in the Past 100 Years."
The Daming Palace in the Tang Dynasty was a magnificent building complex in Chang'an. The park is built on the site of the Daming Palace. Here, there are the foundation sites of palaces such as the Hanyuan Hall. Visitors can enjoy the restored miniature landscape of the Daming Palace.
The scenic area has a south gate and an east gate. The south gate is the main entrance, and the tourist center is also located at the south gate. It is recommended that tourists enter the scenic area through the south gate. The heritage park is divided into two parts: a free - access area and a ticketed area. The ticketed area is the core area of the scenic spot, including the Danfeng Gate Site Museum, the Hanyuan Hall, the Xuanzheng Hall, the Zichen Hall sites, and the Daming Palace Site Museum. The Danfeng Gate was the main south gate of the Daming Palace. In front of it was the Danfeng Gate Street, which was 176 meters wide. North of the Danfeng Gate, there were the Hanyuan Hall, the Xuanzheng Hall, the Zichen Hall, the Penglai Hall, the Hanliang Hall, the Xuanwu Hall, etc., forming the north - south central axis. Most of the other buildings in the palace were also distributed along this axis. According to "Yonglu," in the Daming Palace, from the Danfeng Gate, there was the Hanyuan Hall, and further north was the Zichen Hall. The three buildings were built one after another from south to north, and all three were built on the mountain ridge. The front - court area occupied the highest part of the Longshou Mountain. After passing the front - court area, the terrain at the northern foot of the Longshou Mountain dropped rapidly, with a height difference of several meters.
The Hanyuan Hall, the Xuanzheng Hall, and the Zichen Hall were the three major halls of the Daming Palace, and the Hanyuan Hall was the main hall. On the left and right sides of the Xuanzheng Hall were the Zhongshu and Menxia Departments, as well as the Hongwen and Hongshi Academies. On the east and west sides of the axis, there was a longitudinal street respectively, which was formed by opening side - gates on three transverse palace city walls.
North of the Longshou Mountain was the rear courtyard, where the terrain was low - lying. The water of the Longshou Canal was diverted into the city to form a lake, namely the Taiye Pool. The emperor's sleeping palaces and auxiliary palaces were mostly concentrated on the high - ground of the Longshou Mountain in the southeast of the Taiye Pool. The places where the emperor handled state affairs and entertained officials in the rear courtyard were located on the high - ground of the Longshou Mountain on the southwest bank of the Taiye Pool. To the north of the Taiye Pool, where the terrain was broad and flat, some entertainment places and auxiliary landscapes of the Taiye Pool were set up, such as the Shicui Hall, the Horse - racing Tower, and the Cock - fighting Platform. The Linde Hall was probably built during the Linde era of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and was located on the high - ground west of the Taiye Pool in the northern part of the Daming Palace. As previously mentioned, there were more than 30 other palaces, pavilions, and observation towers here.
Within the scenic area, tourists can view the foundation sites of the major halls and the outlines of the palaces presented in light - steel structures on the foundation sites. In the Daming Palace Site Museum, visitors can view the cultural relics unearthed from the site, such as imperial utensils and vessels. In the northeast corner of the museum, there is a restored miniature landscape of the Daming Palace in a 1:15 scale. The tallest miniature palace is about 2 meters high. You can "walk" on the streets in the landscape and immerse yourself in the Daming Palace of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
In the Danfeng Gate Site Museum near the south gate, the foundation sites of the gate towers of the Danfeng Gate are preserved. This was the largest city gate in Chinese history that could be verified. In the northwest of the Danfeng Gate, there is an archaeological exploration center (additional tickets or package tickets are required). Here, you can personally experience the excavation and restoration of cultural relics, which is especially suitable for children and adults interested in archaeological exploration.
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