11/10/2022
07:53
The Huaqing Palace
In April 1982, the ruins of some ancient buildings and hot-water bathing-pools were found when the ground for the “Arbor of Imperial Consort” was being prepared for reconstruction. And a scientific examination shows that it is the ruin of the former Huaqing Palace of the Tang Dynasty. What is being excavated now is the ruin of palace and bathing pools located in the southern part of the eastern area of the Tang Huaqing Palace, which used to be a place for the emperor to slay and rake baths when he made his tours here. The bathing pools so far excavated now are the “Pool of Stars,” the “Prince Pool,” the “Lotus Pool” and the “Imperial Consort Pool. ”
The Huaqing Palace
Looking back at the Huaqing Hot Spring in history it has undergone four times of large constructions. The first time could be dated hack to the Western Zhou Dynasty of over 3,000 years ago. At the time the King of Zhou had been here building his temporary palaces, naming them the ” Ligong” in Chinese or the Palaces at Lishan Mountain. The second time was in the Qin Dynasty. This time, apart from putting up palaces and halls the first Emperor of Qin Dynasty began to make up of the hot spring here by building spring pool of stone masonry, calling it the Lishan Pool, known as “‘ Lishantang” in Chinese. By the time of the Western Han Dynasty emperor made it a great pleasure to tour in this place, constructing some palaces here, which were known in Chinese also as ” Ligong,” or the palaces for temporary dwellings. When history entered into, the Tang Dynasty “Hot Spring Palace,” or “Wenquangong” began to be built since Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the dynasty, but towards the time of Li Lonji. Emperor Xuanzong of the Mid Tang period large number of palaces were built here up and down the mountain slopes and in and around the area. “Thousand gates are opened one after the other along hillsides,” a line of poem chanted by Tu Mu, a famous Tang poet testified to the very fact at that time. Besides, a number of bath pools were also built here, the renowned ones being the “Lotus Flower Pool,” the “Imperial Consort Pool” and so on as discovered in 1982. They were built both very solidly and exquisitely and some of the technological skills, such as the input and outlet of water, could be considered as very high. And in addition to all this, city walls were at the same time built round the “Wenquangong” was replaced by that of “Huaqinggong” or the Huaqing Palae, and the bath pools within changed to “Huaqingchi,” or “ Huaqing Hot Spring.” It is said that Emperor Xuanzong and his Imperial Consort Yang had often come to stay and play in the Huaqing Hot Spring here, especially during the cold winter and spring time still with some nips in the air. The major scenic spots that have things to do with them are:
The Huaqing Palace
1, Feishuangdian, or the Flying Frost Hall It is said that when Emperor Xuanzong and his Imperial Consort Yang came here they made the hall their temporary dwelling. As this hall faced the Nine Dragon Pool the warm evaporations kept on spiraling up from the pool. Therefore, whenever the northwest wind started to blow and snowflakes fell heavily down from the sky only frosts could be seen in front of this hall because the warm evaporations reduced them into rimes.
2. Nine Dragon Pool Found in the west comer of the Nine Dragon Pool is the Stone Boat, on which as said when the emperor came with his consort they would take their baths in the Nine Dragon Pool while having relaxation here. At that time the pool was built of glossy white marbles and the bottom surface of it revealed some discernible patterns of fish, dragon, flowers and birds and seen in the center of the pool was a bright and clear twin-lotuses carved out of a piece of white jade. The wan spring water poured down from above directly onto the lotus. Hence another name for the pool the Lotus Flower Pool.
3. Imperial Consort Bathing Pool Built of white jade it was a special bathing pool for the Imperial Consort Yang. Shaping like a be- gonia flower the pistil was chiseled out of a jade piece and the spring water gushed out right from the middle of the stamen.
4. Drying Hair Pavilion It is said that when the Imperial Consort Yang Finished her bath she would come to dry up her hair while enjoying the scenery in this pavilion.
The Huaqing Palace
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